SRLP, Sithamma Sagar Get Boost With Centre's Clearance
Uttam Kumar Reddy had previously stated that the Congress government in the state was committed to providing water from the Kharif season next year.
Hyderabad:The Telangana government received a boost for its plans for the integrated Sithammasagar and Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLP), with the Central Water Commission (CWC) giving the go-ahead for the project that seeks to use 67.05 TMC ft of water from the Godavari river for irrigation, drinking water supply, and electricity generation.
A Technical Advisory Committee comprising senior officials from the Jal Shakti Ministry and the CWC, which met with officials from Telangana in Delhi on Thursday, approved the project’s detailed project report, marking a significant step in its progress. The push to secure the approvals and facilitate the way forward was led by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, whose persistent efforts were instrumental in Thursday’s development.
The integrated Sithammasagar and SRLP is the first-of-its-kind multipurpose project since the formation of Telangana. Uttam Kumar Reddy had previously stated that the Congress government in the state was committed to providing water from the Kharif season next year.
The project will use 67.05 TMC ft of water from the Godavari for irrigation, supporting an ayacut of 7,87,000 acres. In addition, it will provide drinking water through 11 pump houses and benefit the Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Khammam, and Mahabubabad districts. The project is also designed to stabilise the ayacut of the Nagarjunasagar Project, as well as the Wyra, Paleru, and other medium lift irrigation schemes.
Once completed and commissioned, the project will also be capable of generating 282.80 MW of hydropower. With an approved cost of `19,955 crore, more than half of the work has already been completed, and full completion is scheduled by the Rabi crop season next year.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka complimented minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy for pursuing the Centre permissions for the project. With his efforts, in the very near future, large tracts of land in the former unified Khammam district will become arable with thousands of acres of land getting irrigated.