Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme Completed in Record Time: Harish Rao

Like many other major projects in the country like the Gujarat government's Sardar Sarovar on River Narmada started in 1980 and completed in 2017, Madhya Pradesh government project Indira Sagar started in 1984 and completed it in 2005, every project took decades to finish. However, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme(KLIS) in Telangana was completed within three years which is a record time, said Telangana finance minister T Harish Rao.

Harish Rao said in the ongoing budget session of the Legislative Assembly that the construction of KLIS and other irrigation projects had provided sufficient water to the farming community and also the groundwater table in many districts increased drastically. Adding, he said, “This is the commitment of Telangana government in ensuring availability of sufficient water to the farming community.”

The State government not only focussed on irrigation and agriculture but also concentrated on drinking water. Now, Telangana State doesn't have a water crisis, he said. In the Godavari basin 33.4 tmc and in the Krishna basin 23.5 tmc of water have been earmarked exclusively to meet drinking water requirements, Harish Rao said.