Telangana accelerates Devadula water project with maximum pumping capacity operations

The Telangana government has directed officials to begin maximum water lifting through the Devadula system using all available pumping capacity while work continues on the long-delayed project, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced Tuesday.

The minister said the state has placed the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme on fast track with a target to complete it within one year. He ordered that all existing pumping facilities be optimally operated to convey the maximum quantity of water to command areas and reservoirs served by the project.

Two-decade delay under review

Reviewing project progress, Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was unfortunate that a scheme of such importance, launched nearly two decades ago, remained incomplete due to neglect by successive governments. The project is designed to lift about 38 tmc ft of Godavari water and irrigate nearly six lakh acres across Hanumakonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Jangaon, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Suryapet, Siddipet, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts.

Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and D. Seethakka, several MLAs and MPs from the command areas, and officials attended the meeting. Officials examined the project component by component, identified bottlenecks holding up different works, and discussed specific measures to overcome them. The review focused on land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement, and forest-related issues.

₹5,000 crore irrigation package

The government will release required funds immediately wherever land acquisition and award procedures are completed, the minister said. The Chief Minister has assured a special package of ₹5,000 crore for irrigation projects under construction across Telangana, of which about ₹2,500 crore has already been released.

The meeting examined problems encountered during Devadula's implementation over the years and discussed practical solutions to clear each remaining obstacle. "The Chief Minister wants Devadula to be completed on a fast track to ensure the intended benefits reach the farmers at the earliest," Uttam Kumar Reddy said.

Source: The Hindu