The inauguration of the first pump of the Telangana government’s flagship irrigation project Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) took place successfully on Wednesday morning. With the officials switching on the first 124.5MW-pump of the project, water from Yellampalli reservoir water gushed out of the delivery cistern.
In all seven pumping units were installed under package six of the project, out of which two more pumps will be switched on Thursday. These pumps can lift water vertically to 110 meters with a 45–degree gradient to the delivery cistern. Package six which costs around Rs 4,961 crore connects the lift irrigation scheme to Nandimedaram project, the halfway point to the mid-Manair project.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in a statement on Wednesday expressed happiness over the accomplishment. "It is a tough task, however as expected it was executed with ease," CM said, adding that the credit of installing such heavy pumps and running them successfully has placed Telangana in a top position.
"To irrigate 40 lakh acres' agriculture land in Telangana we have planned to utilise 139 MW capacity pump sets. Previously in Telangana there were instances where water was lifted up to 80 to 85 meters high. In Kaleshwaram project each pump set has a capacity to lift waters up to 120 meters high," he said.