As part of the State government’s decision to enhance the water lifting and conveying capacity of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) from the present 2 tmcft to 3 tmcft a day, it would have five new pump-houses between Yellampally barrage and Mallannasagar.
This would be in addition to the increase in the number of motors at Kannepally – to lift water from Medigadda barrage – Goliwada (from Annaram barrage) and Gunjapadugu (from Sundilla barrage) pump-houses to carry one more tmcft water a day from the Godavari river. According to Irrigation Department officials, the three pump-houses linked to the main barrages would have 6, 4 and 5 additional motors, respectively, in the Link-I of the project.
Work of installing the additional motors has been entrusted to the agency that had constructed and operating the three pump-houses of the project head works, MEIL, by the State government. Additional motors in the three pump-houses would also be with 40 MW capacity each and require additional power supply mechanism to handle load of another 600 MW.
Keeping in mind the difficulties faced in executing the work on tunnels and in land acquisition for open/gravity channel supply to lift and convey 2 tmcft of water, the project authorities have decided to have piped conveyor system in five stretches running for a total length of about 42.5 km for the third tmcft of water. Sources said the piped canal system would require smaller extent of land compared to the open-cum-tunnel water conveyor system.
The five stretches of piped water conveyor system would be between Yellampally barrage and Devikonda reservoir; Devikonda reservoir and Manair river (to allow further flow of the one tmcft of water into Mid Manair Reservoir); Mid Manair to Ananthagiri reservoir; and Anantagiri to Mallannasagar. The new pump-houses would be located between Yellampally and Manair river (2), Mid Manair Reservoir and Ananthagiri reservoir (1) and Ananthagiri reservoir and Mallannasagar (2).
Officials said the piped water conveyor system would be in rows of pipes ranging from 8 to 12 and the diameter of pipes ranging from 3.2 to 4 metres in five stretches. The government has finalised tenders with an estimated cost of ₹21,000 crore recently for lifting the third tmcft of water in KLIP.
