MOTHER NATURE Mother Nature September 2017 | Page 13

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Mother Nature Aug /Sep 2017
What’s the project?
The Kaleshwaram project is an off-shoot of the original
Pranahitha-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme taken up by
the Congress government in 2007 when Andhra Pradesh
was not divided. After the formation of Telangana in 2014,
the TRS government redesigned the project on the ground
that the original plan had too many environmental ob-
stacles and had very low water storage provision — only
about 16.5 tmc ft.
After conducting a highly advanced Light Detection and
Ranging (LiDAR) survey for a couple of months, the
government separated the original component serving the
Adilabad area as the Pranahitha project and renamed the
rest as Kaleshwaram by redesigning the head works,
storage capacity and the canal system based on the data
of availability of water at different locations along the course
of the Godavari and its tributaries.
The Kaleshwaram project has provision for the storage of
about 148 tmc ft with plans of utilising 180 tmc ft by lifting
at least 2 tmc ft water every day for 90 flood days.
“The project is designed to irrigate 7,38,851 hectares (over
18.47 lakh acres) uplands in the erstwhile districts of
Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and
Ranga Reddy,” the senior engineer said.
As a lot is at stake for the government, it is pursuing
various clearances and permissions simultaneously with
the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and the
Central Water Commission. Recently, the Ministry of
Environment has given its nod for utilising 3,168 hectares
(7,920 acres) of forestland, including 302 hectares in
Maharashtra. The project requires a total of 32,000
hectares. Following severe opposition from a section of
farmers against land acquisition for the Mallannasagar res-
ervoir, the State amended the 2013 Land Acquisition Act
to speed up the process.
What’s unique in KLIP?
According to engineers, KLIP has many unique
features, including the longest tunnel to carry
water in Asia, running up to 81 km, between
the Yellampally barrage and the
Mallannasagar reservoir. The tunnel work is
nearing completion and the lining work is also
in progress. The project would also utilise the
highest capacity pumps in the country , up to
139 MW, to lift water.
The ‘Four Waters’concept
‘Water is life (Jal Jeevan Hai)’
The ‘Four Waters’ concept developed by irrigation
expert late T. Hanumantha Rao has been gaining
momentum.
In a move that w ould change the water
conservation scenario in the State, the National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) has launched ‘Water is life (Jal Jeevan
Hai)’ training for ‘Jal Doot’ volunteers who in turn
train villagers. The focus is more on villages where
groundwater was over exploited.
The ‘four water’ concept (ground, surface, soil
moisture and rainwater) will be the basis for water
campaign by volunteers and six methods will be
adopted by volunteers ‘to catch the rain where it
falls’ and to conserve each drop of water.
The methods include soak pit in every rural
household, farm pond in every farmer’s field, tank
renovation and silt application, water conservation
- drip and sprinklers to all farmers, renovation and
recharge - farm trenches, well recharge and
awareness on Crop Water Budgeting (cropping
pattern based on water resources).
The 50 volunteers of various NGOs act as ‘Jal Doots’
to take up massive water campaign in 600 villages
by organising meetings with farmers, SHG
members, Gram Panchayat and educate them to
take up various recharge/w ater harvesting
structures.
The programme was formally launched by Mr.
Prakash Rao MD of TSWR Development
Corporation, expressed a great need for
conservation and harvesting of water and it is the
duty of every citizen and State Government has
taken up short, medium and long-term measures
to exploit and conserve water resources of the
State. Every citigen should be ‘Water Warrior’ for
developing water resources of the District/State.
The campaign is designed and being implemented
by the NABARD and the Centre for Environment
Education (CEE).
Nabard will route the requests for various water
harvesting/ conservation structures received
during the campaign by volunteers to departments
to facilitate construction of structures.