Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said the Kaleshwaram barrages were in a precarious condition and could not be used for lifting water until rehabilitation works were completed and safety clearance was granted. He said the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had prohibited operations at the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages until scientific rehabilitation was carried out.
Addressing a media conference at the State Secretariat, the Minister rejected claims by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders that the Kannepalli Pump House could be switched on immediately to lift Godavari water through the three barrages. He said the issue involved engineering safety and could not be treated as a political matter.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the previous BRS government compromised engineering standards for political considerations while executing the Kaleshwaram project. He claimed that North Telangana would not have faced irrigation uncertainty if the barrages had been constructed according to sound engineering principles.
NDSA report flags concerns over Kaleshwaram barrages
Referring to the final NDSA report, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the foundations of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages remained under serious technical scrutiny. He said the report identified compromised secant pile cut-off walls, seepage and piping beneath the foundations, inadequate stilling basins, poor energy dissipation systems, construction defects and quality-control failures.
The Minister said Medigadda Block-7 had experienced severe settlement after voids developed beneath its raft because of piping. He added that similar distress patterns had also been observed at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages. According to him, impounding water before completing repairs could pose serious risks, including to downstream areas such as Bhadrachalam.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said scientific investigations and testing were nearing completion, while rehabilitation designs would be finalised during the current monsoon. He said construction would begin after floodwaters receded and that the government aimed to complete rehabilitation by July or August 2027. Until then, he said, the Kaleshwaram barrages would remain in free-flow condition.
The Minister also said the Telangana government was pursuing a long-term alternative by planning to bring nearly 80 TMC of water from Tummidihatti through gravity. He said a Detailed Project Report had been entrusted to RV Associates and that discussions with the Maharashtra government were being initiated for the construction of a barrage at Tummidihatti.