BHUPALPALLY: On Friday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao called for the immediate activation of the Kannepalli pumps of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). He argued that turning on the pumps is essential not only for the benefit of farmers but also to address the drinking water needs of Hyderabad residents.
"We have set August 2 as the deadline for the Congress government to activate the pumps," Rama Rao stated. "If they fail to act, we will mobilize 50,000 farmers and switch on the motors ourselves."
Rama Rao spoke to the media after inspecting the Kannepalli pump house and the Lakshmi barrage at Medigadda, accompanied by BRS legislators. During his visit, he offered prayers at the Godavari river's bathing ghat and conducted special prayers with MLAs and MLCs at the Mukteswara Swamy temple inside the Kaleshwaram project.
The BRS leader criticized the Congress government for allegedly exaggerating a minor issue with the Medigadda barrage to undermine the BRS and KCR’s achievements. “The Congress is attempting to discredit the Kaleshwaram project, which was completed in record time and is the largest multi-stage lift irrigation project in the world,” he said.
Rama Rao accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of jeopardizing farmers' livelihoods due to a lack of water. He highlighted the dire water levels, stating that the Lower Manair Dam and Mid Manair Dam have less than five tmcft of water each, far below their full capacities.
According to Rama Rao, if the Kannepalli pumps are activated, it would irrigate 19 lakh acres, given that the Godavari River is currently flowing at 10 lakh cusecs, which is otherwise wasted into the Bay of Bengal through the Medigadda barrage.
Rama Rao also demanded that the government begin pumping water to replenish reservoirs such as Yellampalli, Kondapochammasagar, Sri Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallannasagar, Mid Manair, and Lower Manair. He claimed that all 17 pumps at the Kannepalli pump house are operational and could be turned on immediately.
The BRS leader accused the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) of issuing a false report about KLIS, suggesting that the Congress government was using it as a pretext to delay the pump activation. He also alleged that the NDSA had not inspected the Kaleshwaram project and had failed to report on the damaged cofferdam of the Polavaram project for years, yet responded quickly to the issues with the Medigadda barrage.