Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Munneru–Palair Link Canal will be completed and made operational by January 2027. He said the Congress government is committed to completing irrigation projects on time and assured farmers of timely delivery.
Addressing a public meeting in Khammam on Saturday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government will execute the project in fast-track mode. The Chief Minister Revanth Reddy laid the foundation stone for the ₹162.54 crore project earlier in the day.
The Minister described the Munneru–Palair Link Canal as a low-cost and high-impact gravity-based project. He said the canal will divert surplus floodwater from the Munneru River to the Palair reservoir. The water will flow through a 9.6-km link canal.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the project will stabilise irrigation for 1.38 lakh acres under the Nagarjuna Sagar Project left canal downstream of Palair in Khammam district. Moreover, it will also stabilise irrigation for 40,000 acres upstream in Suryapet district. He added that the project will support SRSP Phase-2. In addition, it will benefit 56,000 to 76,000 acres seasonally.
Munneru–Palair Link Canal to cut costs, boost irrigation
Highlighting financial benefits, the Minister said the project will reduce annual electricity costs by nearly ₹120 crore in the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project. The savings will come from shifting from power-based pumping to gravity flow. He also said the scheme will generate 2 MW of hydropower using the existing hydel plant downstream of Palair.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the link canal will help reduce flood risks in Khammam, Suryapet, and Mahabubabad districts. He added that the government will allocate 4.7 TMC of water every year to Mission Bhagiratha. This move will strengthen the drinking water supply.
Linking the canal to the larger Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project, he said the Congress government revised the project cost from ₹13,000 crore to ₹19,000 crore. In addition, he said the government also secured a water allocation of 67 TMC. He added that three pump houses are operational. Furthermore, work on the fourth is progressing rapidly.
The Minister accused the previous BRS government of ignoring the project for nearly a decade. He said the present government has taken firm steps to revive and complete it and also urged local leaders, stakeholders, and the public to cooperate to ensure timely completion.
He said the project would transform agriculture in Khammam, Suryapet, and Mahabubabad districts. This will be under the leadership of Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.