Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation scheme

Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation scheme

Pranahita Chevella lift irrigation scheme is a lift irrigation scheme to harness the water of Pranhita tributary of Godavari river for use in the Telangana state of India. Under Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal award agreements, Maharashtra state earlier agreed for construction of barrages by the undivided Andhra Pradesh state across the Pranhita river which is forming common boundary between the two states. This lift canal is an inter river basin transfer link by feeding Godavari river water to Krishna river basin.

The foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2007.

Signing of an agreement by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to implement the Rs. 38,500-crore mega project of Pranahita-Chevella at Delhi in the presence of Chief Ministers of both States will open a new chapter with regard to utilisation of water in the Godavari basin.

Maharashtra's willingness not only to allow the construction of the project but also to participate in it comes as a big relief to Andhra Pradesh in the light of its legal battle against “illegal” construction of Babli Project and 11 other barrages across the Godavari, which threatens to curtail inflows to Sriram Sagar Project.

The agreement culminates five years of correspondence held by Irrigation officials with their Maharashtra counterparts, particularly with E.B. Patil, Principal Secretary, Water Resources, undaunted by the continued litigation over Babli.

Speaking to this correspondent, these officials described the understanding reached between the two neighbouring States as an “historic development” in inter-State cooperation, saying this will pave way for implementation of other projects like Lendi, lower Penganga and Inchampalli.

Mr Patil is said to have a played a key role along with Adityanath Das, his counterpart here, in preparing the ground.

Andhra Pradesh has so far spent Rs 1,600 crore on various packages of the project, which was designed by a group of engineers to utilise 160 Tmcft of Pranahita water and serve 16.4 lakh acres in the water scarcity areas of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal,Nizamabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts.

This huge investment would have been a waste if Maharashtra had opposed to it. Maharashtra's consent is seen crucial because the barrage required for the project to divert Pranahita waters will have to be built in its territory also. The water from this barrage (full reservoir level at 152 m MSL) will be transferred into the reservoir of theYellampalli project already constructed across the Godavari, before being released to the intended areas, including Hyderabad city (30 tmcft) for drinking purpose. Maharashtra state can also benefit equally by envisaging lift irrigation schemes for uplands irrigation by drawing water from the left bank of the barrage as the left bank of the barrage is close to steep hill ridge (above 190 m MSL).

Moreover, this barrage is the suitable diversion point to transfer Pranhita water to water deficit Marathwada region of Maharashtra via Sriram Sagar reservoir. So the higher storage capacity and the higher full reservoir level of the barrage is also in the interest of Maharashtra state. Earlier in the Babli barrage dispute, Maharashtra claimed that it has right to use the water available in the Sriram Sagar reservoir as per the agreement dated 06.10.1975 of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal and Supreme Court upheld the claim of Maharashtra

Pranahita-Chevella is the costliest of Jalayagnam projects requiring 3,466 MW of power & annual electricity of 7.5 billion KWhr with 530 meters average pumping head and yet, the then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy had readily approved, engineers recall. The initial 296 meters pumping head up to Middle Manair reservoir can be saved if it is possible to divert water from Sriramsagar reservoir whose water availability /inflows could be enhanced to 250 tmc when Maharashtra and Karnataka do not over use the Godavari water in excess of their water use entitlements.

The agreement will provide for constitution of three committees, one of them with Chief Ministers of the two States to oversee the implementation of the project.