Devadula project cries for attention

After 12 years and 10K crore, the project is still a mirage

Fact Sheet

• Irrigation potential: 6.21 lakh acres
• Source of water: 38.182 TMC feet and 8.2 TMC ft self catchment area
• Components: Construction of pumping stations, laying of pipelines, inter-connecting 12 irrigation system tanks, excavation of canals and distributaries
• Administrative sanctions: Rs 9,178 crore
• Revised estimation: Rs 10,984 crore (awaiting approval)
• Power requirement: 484 MW for a period of 120 days
• Land: Required 20,089 acres and Acquired 13,
• Total length of pumping: 447.50 (138.50 km in Phase-I; 196 km in Phase-II; 113 in Phase-III)
• Total length of tunnel: 84.59 km (Phase-III)
• R&R Houses: Contemplated 83 – Completed – Nil

Warangal: The Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme is a classic case of “putting the cart before the horse”. The fact is that the project was commissioned without much thought over whether or not water is available at the intake point in the Godavari river near Gangaram village in Eturnagaram mandal to draw 38.182 TMC feet of water.

Even though the Devadula project was mooted with an objective to irrigate 6.21 lakh acres in the three drought-parched districts of Telangana- Warangal, Nalgonda and Karimnagar, the CAG says that this project is one among many Jala Yagnam programmes that were ill-conceived, largely driven by the urgency to award contracts rather than focusing on immediate benefits to targeted groups.

Since the project, said to be the biggest of its kind in the Asian continent, which was launched in 2004, the progress of works appeared to be going at a snail’s pace while the project expenditure skyrocketed to phenomenal heights due to revised estimations. Split into three phases and 16 packages, the project was planned to complete at an estimated cost of Rs 6,016 crore. Later in 2010, the government accorded clearance revising the estimated cost to Rs 9,178 crore. As of now, the revised estimates of the project to the tune of Rs 10,984 crore are awaiting government’s approval.

The project, even after the completion of the Phase-I and Phase-II at a cost of Rs 1,171 crore and Rs 2,239 crore respectively, is yet to fulfill the aspirations of the farmers due to varied reasons such as leakage and breakages in pipeline and incompletion of tunnel works.However, the glaring error while conceiving the project was said to be overlooking the importance of studying the availability of desired water levels (71 metres) at the intake point in the Godavari river. Due to low water levels at the intake point, both the phases of the project have been dormant for the better part of the year.

To ensure the desired water levels, the irrigation department had proposed to construct a barrage at Kanthanapalli 25 km downstream to stabilise the water availability at the Devadula intake point.With Kanthanapalli barrage works yet to get underway as the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is contemplating a change in its design, the future looks bleak for the farmers in the command area of the Devadula.

It may be mentioned here that the CM has directed the irrigation engineers to study the pros and cons if the height of the Kanthanapalli barrage is reduced in order to minimise the submergence area.There was also a proposal from irrigation experts that construction of a sub-surface concrete dyke in Godavari is also a solution to ensure the desired water levels at the Devadula intake point.

Speaking to The Hans India, Devadula superintending engineer B Venkateshwarlu said, “so far, the project had been able to irrigate 46,760 acres, including Phase-I and Phase-II.” It may take another three years for the completion of remaining 60 per cent works of the Phase-III, he said“All the three phases of the project would work at full throttle once the construction of Kanthanapalli barrage is over,” he said, stating that the backwaters of the Godavari river would ensure the desired water levels at the intake point of the Devadula project.

By Adepu Mahender