Foundation Stone for lift irrigation to be laid today

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh CM, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, announced that the foundation stone for one of the biggest lift irrigation projects in the country Pranahitha-Chevella Srujala Sravanthi with investment of Rs 38,500 crore, will be laid today.

Addressing a press conference here, Dr Reddy said the entire project was conceived and planned within four years and will be implemented in the next four years.

“Funds will not be a constraint. We have demonstrated our ability to invest Rs 36,000 crore in last four years on irrigation projects. We are confident we will be able to pump in required funds for the project,” he said.

“We deserve compliments for conceptualising and designing the project and are confident of implementing it in four years from the time of work commencement.

This project, which requires lifting of water from 152 metres above sea level to 650 metres and transferring water to a 700-km stretch, requires 3,300 MW of power to support 16 pumping stations to evacuate water.”

Providing project details, Dr Reddy said that this would irrigate about 16.4 lakh acres of land in seven parched districts of the State evacuating about 160 tmc of water.

In addition to irrigation, it would also support drinking water requirements to not just rural parts of these districts, but also provide 30 tmc of water for Hyderabad. The project envisages diversion of 160 tmc of water from the Pranahitha river lifting water to a height of about 493 metres and traverse through a terrain of about 700 km. About 512 km will be through gravity and it will have tunnel work of 188 km.

The water will have to be lifted at 16 different places and require about 9,270 million units with a total cost of Rs 2,294 crore at current price of Rs 2.36 a unit.