Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) is the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation scheme on the Godavari River at Kaleshwaram in Bhupalpally district, Telangana, India, designed to divert water for agricultural, drinking, and industrial purposes across drought-prone regions.[1] It comprises three barrages—at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—with a combined storage capacity of 33.18 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), 20 pump houses enabling cumulative lifts in stages, 20 reservoirs totaling 147.71 TMC, and an extensive 1,832 km network of gravity canals, tunnels, and pressure mains to distribute water.[1] The project aims to create new irrigation for 1,825,700 acres and stabilize 1,882,970 acres in 13 districts, while supplying 40 TMC for drinking water (including 30 TMC for Hyderabad and Secunderabad) and 16 TMC for industry, drawing primarily from 195 TMC lifted from the Godavari supplemented by other sources, at a designed power demand of 4,627 MW.[1] Despite its ambitious scale and approval by the Central Water Commission, KLIP has encountered substantial challenges, including cost overruns far exceeding the initial Rs. 80,190 crore estimate, with projections indicating totals surpassing Rs. 1.47 lakh crore amid irregularities such as potential undue contractor benefits of at least Rs. 2,684 crore as flagged in a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) performance audit.[2][3] Structural failures, notably sinking piers at the Medigadda barrage attributable to foundation cavities, sand piping, and design flaws, have raised engineering viability concerns shortly after commissioning, compounded by high annual operational costs estimated at Rs. 18,000 crore with limited actual water delivery to intended ayacuts.[4][5] These issues underscore causal factors like rushed execution and inadequate geotechnical assessments, prompting ongoing investigations and debates over the project's long-term sustainability despite its potential to transform Telangana's water security.[6]History and Background
Conception and Planning
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) evolved from the Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Project, originally conceived in 2007 by the Congress government of undivided Andhra Pradesh to divert surplus water from the Pranahita River—a Godavari tributary originating in Maharashtra—for irrigation in Telangana's arid regions.[7] This earlier scheme aimed to transfer up to 16,000 million cubic feet (TMC) of water annually but faced delays due to interstate disputes over water rights with Maharashtra and environmental concerns.[8] Following Telangana's formation in June 2014, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government under Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao redesigned the project to lift water directly from the Godavari River at Kaleshwaram village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, avoiding reliance on Pranahita inflows controlled by upstream states.[9] The revised plan, formalized as KLIP, targeted harnessing 141 TMC of Godavari floodwaters to irrigate 18.25 lakh acres across 13 districts, stabilize drinking water supply for Hyderabad, and enable industrial use, with an emphasis on multi-stage pumping to elevations exceeding 500 meters.[1] This shift was driven by hydrological assessments showing underutilized Godavari flows in Telangana's upper basin, estimated at over 200 TMC during monsoons, amid the state's historical dependence on rain-fed agriculture vulnerable to droughts.[10] Planning commenced in 2015 with feasibility studies by the Telangana Irrigation Department, incorporating geological surveys of the Godavari basin and engineering designs for three barrages, reservoirs, and a 500-kilometer distribution network of canals, tunnels, and lifts.[11] Pre-feasibility reports submitted for environmental clearance in June 2017 detailed lifting 4.5 TMC initially from the Godavari near Kannepally to fill local tanks, scaling to full capacity via 19 pump houses with a total installed power of 36,000 MW.[12] The design prioritized gravity flow where possible post-lifting to minimize energy costs, budgeted initially at ₹80,190 crores, though later estimates rose due to scope expansions.[13] Critics, including opposition parties, argued the redesign inflated costs and bypassed rigorous cost-benefit analyses inherited from the original Pranahita-Chevella framework, but proponents cited empirical data on Telangana's 70% rain-dependent farmland yielding low productivity without assured irrigation.[14]Political Context and Approvals
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) was conceived as a flagship initiative of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS, later renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi or BRS) government following the state's formation in 2014, with Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) positioning it as a critical infrastructure project to harness Godavari River waters for irrigation in arid regions.[15][16] The project drew from earlier proposals like the Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme under the undivided Andhra Pradesh Congress government, but was substantially expanded and relocated upstream under BRS rule to avoid interstate disputes with Maharashtra and to enable higher water lifts.[16][17] Approvals proceeded under the BRS administration without formal state cabinet endorsement, as alleged by subsequent investigations; decisions were reportedly centralized under KCR, bypassing standard procedural checks to expedite implementation.[18][19] The Telangana Legislative Assembly ratified the project in 2016 through a resolution, during which KCR presented technical details via PowerPoint, marking a rare legislative engagement for such infrastructure.[16] Central clearances were secured from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), which provided funding support and public endorsements during the BRS tenure, amid the BJP-led Union government's involvement in loan approvals.[17][20] The project's inauguration on June 21, 2019, by Telangana Governor E. S. L. Narasimhan and KCR underscored its political significance, framed as the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation scheme and funded entirely by state resources exceeding ₹80,000 crore initially.[21] Post-2023, following the BRS electoral defeat to the Congress-led government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, political scrutiny intensified; the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission, appointed in 2024, concluded in August 2025 that KCR bore direct responsibility for procedural lapses, including the absence of cabinet-level approvals and unilateral site changes from the originally planned Sriram Sagar Project.[22][23] This led to calls for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, highlighting ongoing partisan debates over accountability, with BRS dismissing the findings as politically motivated.[24][25]Technical Design and Components
Barrages and Reservoirs
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project incorporates three primary barrages along the Godavari River system—Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—to facilitate water diversion and initial storage for subsequent lifting and distribution. These barrages collectively provide a storage capacity of 33.18 TMC at their respective full reservoir levels (FRL), enabling the harnessing of inflow from the Pranhita River confluence and upstream reaches.[1] The Medigadda Barrage, situated at Medigadda village in Mahadevpur mandal of the former Karimnagar district, operates at an FRL of 100.0 meters with a gross storage of 16.17 TMC, serving as the project's foremost diversion point for an annual yield of 195 TMC primarily allocated to irrigation across 1,825,700 acres, alongside 40 TMC for drinking water and 16 TMC for industrial needs.[1] Annaram Barrage, positioned upstream between Medigadda and the existing Sripada Yellampally Project, maintains an FRL of 120.0 meters and 11.9 TMC capacity to support water conveyance to intermediate command areas.[1] Sundilla Barrage, similarly located in the inter-barrage reach, features an FRL of 130.0 meters and 5.11 TMC storage for augmented flow regulation and pumping intake.[1] An auxiliary barrage, Tummidihetti, at Tummidihetti village in Koutala mandal of Adilabad district, supplements the system with an FRL of 148.0 meters and 1.85 TMC capacity, diverting 20 TMC for the linked Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita Project to irrigate 200,000 acres.[1] These barrages employ gated spillways to manage flood discharges while minimizing submergence, with designs predicated on riverbed foundations to balance storage against the Godavari's variable monsoon yields.| Barrage Name | Location | FRL (meters) | Storage Capacity (TMC) | Primary Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medigadda | Medigadda (V), Mahadevpur (M), former Karimnagar district | 100.0 | 16.17 | Diversion of 195 TMC for irrigation, drinking, and industry |
| Annaram | Between Medigadda and Sripada Yellampally | 120.0 | 11.9 | Water conveyance to command areas |
| Sundilla | Between Medigadda and Sripada Yellampally | 130.0 | 5.11 | Flow regulation and pumping |
| Tummidihetti | Tummidihetti (V), Koutala (M), Adilabad district | 148.0 | 1.85 | Diversion for Pranahita linkage (20 TMC) |
Water Lifting and Pumping Infrastructure
The water lifting and pumping infrastructure of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project features 20 pumping stations distributed across seven links, designed to elevate approximately 195 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water from the Godavari River basin to elevations reaching up to 450 meters over distances of about 110 kilometers.[1][26] These stations enable multi-stage lifting, with water conveyed through a combination of pressure mains, tunnels, and canals totaling 1,832 kilometers in length.[1] The system demands a total designed power rating of 4,627 megawatts (MW) to drive the pumps.[1] Link 1 incorporates three primary pumping facilities tied to the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages, including the Lakshmi Pump House near Medigadda, which commenced operations on August 12, 2019, as the initial lifting point for the project.[27] This station, along with the Saraswathi and Parvathi pump houses, houses 43 pump machines, each with a 40 MW capacity, contributing to a combined power draw of 1,720 MW for Link 1 operations.[28] Subsequent links feature additional stations, such as those in Links 2 through 4 and 7, with Link 7 alone including seven pumping points.[1] Notable among these is the Gayatri Pump House, located near Lakshmipur village in Karimnagar district, which employs seven high-capacity pumps totaling 973 MW to lift water to a static height of 118 meters, achieving a daily output of at least 2 TMC (622 cubic meters per second).[29] Another specialized facility, Package 8, is situated 330 meters underground and designed to lift 3 TMC per day, representing one of the project's most challenging engineering feats.[30] The pumping system integrates advanced electrical technologies, including 37 medium-voltage motors rated at 40-43 MW each, paired with 15 load commutated inverter (LCI) drive units, excitation systems, and SCADA controls for optimized performance across the 300-kilometer network, supporting an annual water delivery of 5.5 billion cubic meters.[31] This infrastructure underpins the project's capacity to irrigate extensive areas by overcoming the region's topographic constraints through staged elevation.[31]Distribution Network: Canals, Tunnels, and Links
The distribution network of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project forms an extensive water conveyance system totaling 1,832 kilometers, comprising 1,531 kilometers of gravity canals for downstream flow, 203 kilometers of tunnels to navigate hilly terrains, and 98 kilometers of pressure and delivery mains for pressurized distribution. Organized into seven links spanning 13 districts, this infrastructure links upstream barrages and reservoirs—such as Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—to downstream command areas, enabling gravity-fed irrigation after initial lifts. Tunnels, primarily in Links 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, minimize surface evaporation and land requirements by boring through rock formations, while gravity canals branch into distributaries for field-level delivery.[1] Each link features tailored combinations of canals, tunnels, and mains to adapt to local topography and irrigation demands, as detailed below:| Link | Gravity Canal (km) | Tunnel (km) | Pressure/Delivery Mains (km) | Total Length (km) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16.3 | 0 | 21.95 (plus 8.1 approach channel) | 46.30 | Connects three barrages; 33.18 TMC storage.[1] |
| 2 | 12.20 | 49.80 (twin) | 3.64 | 65.63 | Tunnel-dominant for inter-reservoir transfer; no direct ayacut.[1] |
| 3 | 27.50 | 12 | 5.92 | 45.48 | Serves 86,150 acres.[1] |
| 4 | 394 | 41.40 | 10.82 | 446.22 | Extensive canal network; 589,280 acres.[1] |
| 5 | 207 | 1.45 | 0 | 208.65 | Primarily canals; 251,800 acres.[1] |
| 6 | 581 | 43 | 0.93 | 625 | Longest canal segment; 329,042 acres.[1] |
| 7 | 285 | 56 | 55 | 395 | Balanced system; 539,428 acres.[1] |