Telangana’s Kaleshwaram project to help in irrigating land in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, Chandrapur
This project was inaugurated at the hands of the Telangana Chief Minister Shri Chandrashekhar Rao at Medigatta in Jayshankar Bhupalpalli district of Telangana State. The Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor Shri E S L Narsinhan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Y S Jaganmohan Reddy were also present on the occasion.
This is considered to be the largest water lift supply system in the world involving projects at various levels. This project will ensure water supply for two crops per annum grown on forty five lakhs hectares of land in both the states. The Medigatta Barrage within this project will provide immense benefit to Maharashtra state, since four water lift irrigation schemes will be implemented utilizing the water in the project. It will include Pentipanka ( three thousand two hundred sixteen hectares), Rangayyapalli (eight hundred forty eight hectares ), Tekada (Two thousand hectares) and Reguntha (Two thousand fifty two hectares ) . The utilization of seventy four million thirty four thousand liters per cubic meter ( 2.63 T M C ) water through these schemes will benefit seven thousand one hundred eighteen hectares irrigated land in the district. Fishing and shipping will be carried out in both the states on the water in this project.
The Telangana State Government is proposing Tumadiheti Barrage near Ashti on the upper side of the Medigatta barrage. The water storage capacity of this barrrage is one hundred forty eight meter and the Government of Maharashtra state has approved the same in principal. This barrage will provide irrigation benefit to twenty one thousand eight hundred sixty nine hectares in the Chandrapur District ( four lift irrigation systems ) and two thousand four hundred seventy one hectares in Gadchiroli district aggregating to twenty four thousand three hundred forty hectares area in both the districts. .
The complete storage level of the Medigatta Marriage has been decided at one hundred meters in the Inter State Council Meeting. Accordingly the water storage capacity of the project is 16.17 T M C . One hundred sixty T M C of water will be lifted from this barrage through lift system, which will provide irrigation to seven lakh fifty thousand area and fifty six T M C water will become available for non irrigation purposes. Out of which forty T M C water will be available for drinking purposes and sixteen T M C water will be available for industrial utilization.
Telangana state is located to the right hand side of the submersible area of this barrage and Gadchiroli district is situated on the left bank. The submersible area in Gadchiroli district upto forty five kilometers. This submersible area included 4.80 hectares of government land and 178.51 hectares of private land. Out of which the Telangana state has outrightly purchased 121.96 hectares of land .
Flood Bank work has been undertaken to reduce the acquisition of land. The four major canals are Pentipanka Canal from Medigatta barrage to Sironcha town, Rajannapalli , Janampalli and Lambadpalli Canal . Flood situation is likely to be created in these canals due to swelling water level. A state flood control cell will be established to monitor this condition and further procedure in the mater will be adopted based on this year’s experience. A joint survey of the submersible area of both the states has been conducted during the current year. Accordingly the land getting affected due to the full storage capacity will be acquired and the height and the ceiling line of the roads and bridges getting affected will be enhanced.
