Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state government had fixed summer 2027 as the deadline for Kaleshwaram barrage restoration after completing technical studies, preparing rehabilitation designs and securing statutory approvals.
The minister said the government had adopted a detailed technical roadmap to restore the damaged barrages. The plan included investigations, testing, design preparation, regulatory approvals and execution of rehabilitation works.
Uttam Kumar Reddy reviewed investigation, testing and rehabilitation planning at the project site on Wednesday. He said officials had accelerated hydrological studies, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) tests, geotechnical borehole investigations and other technical assessments.
Most preliminary investigations had already concluded, he said. Meanwhile, the remaining studies were expected to finish by the end of June or during the first week of July.
Kaleshwaram barrage restoration designs to be submitted for approval
Uttam Kumar Reddy said engineers would prepare detailed rehabilitation designs after receiving the findings from the ongoing technical studies. Subsequently, the government would submit the designs to the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) for approval.
He said rehabilitation works were likely to begin after the monsoon season. Accordingly, construction activities could start by the end of November or during the first week of December.
The government intended to complete the entire programme within a single working season. Therefore, it had set summer 2027 as the target for completing Kaleshwaram barrage restoration.
The minister said the Congress government did not intend to politicise the issue. However, he stated that serious mistakes had affected the project in the past.
“Our focus is on accountability, safety and completion. We want to ensure that the barrages are restored properly and safely,” he said.
Kaleshwaram barrage restoration backed by technical investigations
Providing background, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the previous Congress government had launched the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project with an estimated cost of Rs 38,000 crore.
He said nearly one-third of the project works had been completed before 2014. Moreover, he claimed the original project could have been completed around 2016-17 if authorities had continued with the initial plan.
According to the minister, the original project would have irrigated about 16 lakh acres. However, he alleged that the previous BRS government shifted the project and significantly increased its cost.
He said that decision created both financial and technical challenges. The project cost, initially estimated at Rs 38,000 crore, had crossed Rs 1 lakh crore, he added.
Furthermore, he said Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimates indicated that the expenditure could rise to nearly Rs 1.45 lakh crore. Despite that spending, the three barrages had remained unused since December 7, 2023, he added.
Kaleshwaram barrage restoration studies nearing completion
Uttam Kumar Reddy said earlier project designs had not fully reflected the actual operational requirements of the barrages. For example, designers had not adequately considered gate operations at lower openings.
He said the ongoing studies would address those shortcomings. In addition, they would help ensure the long-term safety and stability of the barrages.
The minister said GPR testing across the three barrages was nearly 80 to 90 per cent complete. Similarly, borehole drilling and geotechnical investigations had reached around 75 to 80 per cent completion.
Officials expected to finish these investigations by the end of June. They had also drilled some boreholes to depths ranging from 40 metres to 80 metres to gather deeper geological information.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government would undertake all future designs, repairs and additional works only after obtaining concurrence from the CWC and NDSA. As a result, the rehabilitated barrages would remain safe and functional for several decades.
He reiterated that the government’s objective remained unchanged. It aimed to complete investigations by July, finalise designs after the monsoon, begin rehabilitation by the end of November or early December, and complete Kaleshwaram barrage restoration by summer 2027.