Efforts are being made by the Congress government to eclipse the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme with the Pranihita Chevella project.
Published Oct 08, 2025 | 12:10 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 08, 2025 | 12:13 PM
Wardha River in Pulgaon.
Synopsis: The Congress government has set its sights on resurrecting the Thummidi Hatti as a cost-effective, gravity-driven lifeline—a project that promises to quench the thirst of north and eastern Telangana’s drought-scorched lands without burning a hole in the power grid.
The long-dormant Thummidi Hatti project — part of the original Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi (PCSS) – seems to be coming back to life.
Efforts are being made by the Congress government to eclipse the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme with the Pranihita Chevella project.
The Congress government has set its sights on resurrecting the Thummidi Hatti as a cost-effective, gravity-driven lifeline—a project that promises to quench the thirst of north and eastern Telangana’s drought-scorched lands without burning a hole in the power grid.
In what is being seen as both a political and technical counterpunch, the Thummidi Hatti revival stands as the Congress government’s bid to dismantle what the Congress calls BRS’s “flawed legacy”— marred by the collapse of piers of Medigadda barrage, ballooning costs, and corruption probes.
At a high-level review meeting on 7 October, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that engineering teams were assessing two possible canal alignments for the project:
Option 1: The Gravity Route: A 71.5-km canal and 14-km tunnel from Mylaram to Sundilla, harnessing natural gradients to move water with minimal energy use.
Option 2: Pumping-Assisted Path: Installation of a pumping station to channel water via the Yellampalli reservoir.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said a final call would be made on 22 October, after examining cost, hydraulic efficiency, geological stability, and power requirements.
The state plans to maintain an FRL of 148 meters, consistent with the 2015–16 accord with Maharashtra, and has already fast-tracked surveys, document updates, and contractor consultations.
This revival marks a course correction— a decisive move away from the BRS-era redesign that birthed Kaleshwaram. Where Kaleshwaram relied on colossal pumps and extravagant expenditure, Thummidi Hatti aims for simplicity, sustainability, and sound engineering, the Congress argues.
The Pranahita-Chevella project, originally conceived in 2007 in the undivided Andhra Pradesh Congress government, sought to divert 160 TMC of Pranahita River water—a major tributary of the Godavari—at Thummidi Hatti in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
The plan envisioned a modest barrage allowing gravity or low-lift irrigation across over 2 lakh acres in Adilabad and adjoining districts, with additional drinking and industrial benefits extending to Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, and Ranga Reddy.
By 2014, preparatory works worth nearly ₹11,000 crore had been completed. But the BRS government, led by K Chandrashekar Rao, scrapped the blueprint, shifting the intake to Medigadda and rebranding the project as Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) in 2016.
The justification: Insufficient water availability at Thummidi Hatti, Maharashtra’s objections to submergence, environmental concerns near a wildlife sanctuary, and pending Central Water Commission (CWC) clearances.
Kaleshwaram soon became a mega-engineering spectacle—a 500-km network of canals, lifts, and reservoirs designed to irrigate 20.33 lakh acres. But the dream soured. Costs spiraled from ₹80,000 crore to over ₹1 lakh crore. Structural flaws led to the Medigadda barrage piers collapsing in 2023. Allegations of corruption followed, triggering a Justice PC Ghose Commission inquiry and a CBI probe.
Since returning to power in December 2023, the Congress has placed Thummidi Hatti at the top of its irrigation revival agenda, branding it as a “return to the original, superior plan” that KLIS had derailed.
Uttam Kumar Reddy has been blunt. The Kaleshwaram redesign was nothing more than a money-making exercise, while Thummidi Hatti offers a power-light, gravity-fed system capable of delivering up to 160 TMC from the Pranahita—augmentable through future Indravati linkages.
Most of the old clearances remain valid, though updated CWC and environmental approvals will be sought.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, for his part, has vowed to “reclaim Godavari waters” through Thummidi Hatti—promising 20 TMC for Hyderabad and branding Kaleshwaram a “monument to corruption.”
The government is now walking a twin track—restoring Kaleshwaram barrages per National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) guidelines using IIT expertise because colossal amounts of money had already been invested in it, while prioritising Thummidi Hatti as the state’s next big irrigation engine.
But the Congress government has miles to go before it can hope to efface the memory of the Kaleshwaram Project with Thummidi Hatti.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
