CM Inaugurates Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme

NARLAPUR (NAGARKURNOOL DIST.) – September 16, 2023

In a momentous stride towards alleviating the plight of 12.3 lakh acres of arid and parched terrains, hitherto untouched by existing initiatives, in the former Mahabubnagar and Rangareddy districts, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is poised to inaugurate the first pump at the Yellur-Narlapur pump-house of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) today.

This marks a pivotal initiation in the implementation of the project, activating the phased operation of the 31 pumps. Project engineers, in tandem with contracted agencies, have been engaged in a race against time to transition the project into full operational mode, unveiling several remarkable attributes.

During a recent on-site visit, project authorities elucidated that the first four stages of lifts, housing 31 pumps and an additional three standby pumps, each boasting a colossal 145-megawatt capacity, constitute the world’s most potent pumps ever deployed in a lift irrigation endeavor. In the inaugural phase, each pump will hoist an impressive 3,000 cusecs of water to a height of 104 meters, facilitating the conveyance of Srisailam backwaters into the Narlapur reservoir.

“The 139 MW capacity pumps used in the first-stage lifting of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project were the largest capacity pumps employed to date. We fondly referred to them as ‘Bahubali’ pumps due to their capacity. However, in the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, we now employ ‘Maha Bahubali’ pumps.”

The commissioning of the inaugural pump in the first-stage lifting of PRLIS signifies a symbolic commencement of project operations. Authorities confirm that the project’s headworks, encompassing pump houses, reservoirs, tunnels, and open canals, vital not only for agricultural needs but also for drinking water, are already 80% complete, with concurrent progress in the assembly of pumps.

Another distinctive attribute of PRLIS, according to officials, is the surge-pool in the second-stage lifting at Yedula, which ranks as Asia’s largest facility of its kind. This massive structure, with a depth of 90 meters and water filled up to 79.25 meters, facilitates all nine pumps, each endowed with a 145 MW capacity, to draw and lift water to a height of 124 meters, discharging 2,650 cusecs each.

, “The pump-houses of PRLIS distinguish themselves from those of the Kaleshwaram project. Taking cues from engineering experiences there, irrigation department constructed the PRLIS pump-houses with ample space.” Plans are afoot to channel water to the Karivena reservoir by the end of October.

With setbacks in the form of legal disputes and environmental clearance delays, the project’s progress could have been further ahead. The construction of canal systems to transport water to tanks and farmlands will commence after the completion of headworks, project engineers disclosed.