Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy Discusses Dam Safety in Delhi
On Saturday, Telangana State Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy met with officials from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) in New Delhi. The meeting, chaired by NDSA Chairman Anil Jain, focused on the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages.
After the meeting, Minister Reddy addressed the media at Telangana Bhavan, stating, “We had a detailed discussion for about two and a half hours with the dam safety officials regarding the tests conducted so far, the works done, and the future actions to be taken for the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. No new irrigation area has been created with the Kaleshwaram Project.”
He criticized the previous government for constructing the barrages without proper tests and noted that the Medigadda barrage was designed to store 16.1 TMC of water, which is inappropriate. The Annaram project has significant seepage, and there are flaws in the Sundilla barrage.
Over the past five years, about 65 TMC of water has been pumped, averaging 13 TMC per year. Minister Reddy mentioned that constructing the project near Tummidi Hatti would have reduced electricity expenses, which currently amount to Rs 10,000 crores annually.
The government is committed to modifying the Kaleshwaram Project to bring water through gravity and reduce costs. Repairs are being carried out by the original contractors at no additional expense to the government, following NDSA’s recommendations.
The NDSA has recommended lifting the gates of the three barrages and releasing water downstream, a task currently in progress. Another meeting is scheduled for Monday to further discuss the project’s full utilization.
Key officials present at the meeting included State Irrigation Department Advisor Aditya Nath Das, Irrigation Department Secretary Rahul Bojja, Special Secretary Prashant Jeevan Patil, Telangana Bhavan Resident Commissioner Dr. Gaurav Uppal, Irrigation Department Engineer-in-Chief Nagender Rao, Kaleshwaram Chief Engineer Sudhakar Reddy, and former Central Water Commission Chairman J. Chandrasekhar Iyer.
Doubts Revealed
Telangana -: Telangana is a state in southern India. It was formed in 2014 when it separated from Andhra Pradesh.
Minister -: A minister is a person in the government who is in charge of a specific department or area, like education or health.
Uttam Kumar Reddy -: Uttam Kumar Reddy is a politician from Telangana. He is responsible for managing water resources and irrigation in the state.
Delhi -: Delhi is the capital city of India. It is where the central government of India is located.
National Dam Safety Authority -: The National Dam Safety Authority is a government body in India that ensures dams are safe and well-maintained.
Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages -: These are structures built on rivers in Telangana to control water flow and store water for irrigation and other uses.
Kaleshwaram Project -: The Kaleshwaram Project is a large irrigation project in Telangana. It aims to supply water to many parts of the state for farming and drinking.
Contractors -: Contractors are companies or people hired to do specific jobs, like building or repairing structures.