New Deadline for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme

• 02 May 2025
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The Telangana government has extended the deadline for completing the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme to December 2027. This ambitious multistage project aims to bring irrigation to 12.3 lakh acres across six southern districts of the state.

In Short: 

• The Telangana government has extended the deadline for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme to December 2027. This is done with an aim to irrigate 12.3 lakh acres across six southern districts.

• Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy reviewed progress at key sites and assured timely funding, with major works like canal construction and reservoir filling being prioritised for faster completion.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy visited several key project sites on 1 May and announced timelines for the pending works. He assured that funds would be released promptly to keep construction on track. His inspection included major reservoirs and pumping stations at Narlapur, Yedula, Vattem, and Teegalapally.

Work Status and Timelines

At the Narlapur site, the minister reviewed the Stage-I pumping station and its reservoir, which holds 6.4 TMCft of water. He also checked the progress of the open canal between Narlapur and Yedula, part of Package-3, and set a six-month target for its completion.

In Yedula (Wanaparthy district) and Teegalapally (Kodair mandal), he examined the Stage-II pumping station, which has 10 pumps, each with a capacity of 145 MW, and a total discharge capacity of 23,000 cusecs. The associated reservoir here stores up to 6.5 TMCft. This segment also features India’s largest underground cavern, located 160 meters below the surface and measuring 30 meters wide, 415 meters long, and 90 meters deep.

At Vattem (Bijinepally mandal), the Stage-III pumping station has been built with a similar setup - 10 high-capacity pumps and equivalent discharge strength. The minister said the government is giving priority to works required for filling 50 TMCft of water across the reservoirs at Narlapur, Yedula, Vattem, and Karivena. The Udandapur reservoir is expected to be filled by March 2026.

Previously, the Congress government had targeted December 2026 for project completion, but the new deadline pushes it by a year. Despite financial hurdles, the state is committed to speeding up the work.

Minister Reddy noted that Rs. 32,305 crore had already been spent under the previous administration, against an original budget of Rs. 35,200 crore. An additional Rs. 33,201 crore will likely be needed, raising the total projected cost to Rs. 65,506 crore.

Project Overview

The PRLIS was launched by the previous BRS government, with Phase I inaugurated on 16 September 2023 by then-Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The project starts near the Srisailam reservoir and lifts water to the KP Laxmidevipally reservoir in Rangareddy district, which lies 670 meters higher in elevation, using a five-stage pumping system.

The infrastructure includes:

• A 240-km main canal

• 95 km of tunnels

• Six major reservoirs: Anjanagiri, Veeranjaneya, Venkatadri, Kurumurthyraya, Udandapur, and KP Laxmidevipally

• 31 pumps of 145 MW and 3 pumps of 75 MW capacity
  
  

Designed to lift 90 TMCft of floodwater from the Krishna River during the monsoon (1.5 TMCft per day), Phase I supports drinking water for 1,226 villages and stabilises existing irrigation systems. Phase II aims for expansion for irrigation further in order to support supply of industrial water as well as drinking water.

Though progress was made under the BRS regime, incl. environmental clearance in August 2023 and legal victories in the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, funding has remained a challenge under the current government.

With the Centre refusing to designate PRLIS a national project, the state is relying on its own funds. However, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti may offer partial financial support under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), depending on a revised project report and resolution of inter-state water disputes.

Partial operations, despite displays from Phase I, helped irrigate parts of Nagarkurnool and Mahabubnagar districts during the Rabi 2025 season using water stored in reservoirs like Anjanagiri, Veeranjaneya, and Venkatadri.

Source: South First