The Kaleshwaram Multipurpose Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) was inaugurated by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao in Medigadda on June 21. It is said to the world’s largest irrigation and drinking water system.

The cost of the project is Rs 80,000 crore and will provide irrigation facility for two crops in a year to 45 lakh acres, the state government said. It will supply 40 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of water to the ambitious Mission Bhagiratha drinking water supply project.

It will also help in supplying drinking water to 1 crore people in Greater Hyderabad on a daily basis, and also 16 tmc of water to thousands of industries in the state, it said. The KLIP also throws open opportunity for hydel power generation in the state.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy were present when the barrage was opened at Medigadda in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district.

Project highlights

* It was launched in 2008 as Pranahita-Chevella project, which was undertaken by the Congress-ruled erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. After the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) came to power in Telangana in 2014, it was redesigned and renamed Kaleshwaram project.

* The cost of the works too went up from Rs 40,300 crore to Rs 80,000 crore after the redesign.

* 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.

* The state government entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra government on March 8, 2016, putting an end to differences for decades over the issue, and paving the way for the project’s construction in Medigadda.

* The KLIP comprises 1,832 km water supply route, 1,531 km gravity canal, 203 km tunnel routes, 20 lifts, 19 pump houses and 19 reservoirs. By construction of barrages, reservoirs and continuous pumping water is stored in the Godavari.

* The project’s mega pumps and motors lift water 100-600 m and carry it 400 km through the main canal. According to the project engineers, until now the Mubarak Pumping Station, built as part of the Toshka Project in Egypt in 2005 was an engineering wonder.

* The world’s largest pumping station has been set up underground and has a 81-km tunnel running between Yellampalli barrage and Mallanna Sagar reservoir. The tunnel can carry 2 tmc water continuously.

* The 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.

* It requires nearly 4,992 MW of electricity to pump 2 tmc of water every day in the first phase. The requirement will go up to 7,152 MW for lifting 3 tmc from next year.

Irrigation in India

Agriculture is the key for any country as it is needed for the survival of living beings. For growing crops, irrigation is a major part.

Irrigation is described as the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is the substitute or supplement of rainwater with another source of water. It is used in dry areas and during periods of insufficient rainfall.

The major purpose of irrigation systems is to help in the growing of agricultural crops and vegetation by maintaining with the minimum amount of water required, maintenance of landscapes and revegetation of disturbed soils.

Irrigation systems are also used for dust repression, removal of sewage and in mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given region.

In brief, irrigation also has many applications in crop production, which include…

* Protecting plants against frost

* Suppressing weed growth in grain fields

* Preventing soil consolidation

* Dust suppression

* Disposal of sewage

Various irrigation methods

In India, the irrigated area consists of about 36 per cent of the net sown area. There are various techniques of irrigation practices in different parts of India. These methods of irrigation differ in how the water obtained from the source is distributed within the field.

In general, the goal of irrigation is to supply the entire field homogeneously with water, so that each plant has the amount of water it needs, neither too much nor too little. Irrigation in India is done through wells, tanks, canals, perennial canal and multi-purpose river valley projects.

The major means of irrigation in vogue are…

• Canals (surface water resources)

• Wells and tubewells (underground water resources)

• Tanks/ponds (surface water resources)

There has been an increase in the areas irrigated by wells and tubewells due to the use of diesel and electric pump sets. During 2008-09, the share of irrigated areas by them was 61 per cent in comparison to 29.7 per cent in 1950.

Irrigation planning in India

Major Irrigation Plan: Projects included in it are implemented for irrigation in cultivable command areas of 10,000 hectares or more. Often large canals and multipurpose river valley projects are included in it.

Medium Irrigation Plan: Those irrigation projects are included in it which is implemented for irrigation in cultivable command areas of 2,000 hectare or more but less than 10,000 hectares.

Minor Irrigation Plan: Those irrigation projects are included in it which is implemented for irrigation in cultivable command areas of less than 2,000 hectares.