Pranahita-Chevella gets top priority
The long-pending Pranahita Chevella project will receive top priority in the irrigation sector for the new financial year 2026-2027. The state government has earmarked Rs 22,615 crore for the irrigation department, funds which are being utilised to construct the Pranahita project, the Palamuru Rangareddy lift project, and various other pending works. In the budget, the government mentioned it was correcting a historic mistake committed by the previous administration by taking up the Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project in the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Other critical pending projects include the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy, Jawahar Nettempadu, Rajiv Bheema, and Makthal-Narayanpet-Kodangal lift irrigation schemes. Work will also continue on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal, Udayasamudram, Dindi, and Devadula schemes, alongside the Sitarama and Chinna Kaleshwaram projects. Smaller initiatives like the Gouravelli, Errupalem, and various Vagu projects in the Kerameri and Jainoor mandals are also included in this comprehensive financial roadmap.
The budget document further pointed out that the failure of the previous government to perform timely desiltation led to significant silt accumulation, reducing reservoir capacities. In accordance with the National Desiltation Guidelines of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, the government is expanding pilot projects previously seen at Kadem and Lower Manair. Desiltation works will now be taken up at the Sriram Sagar, Priyadarshini Jurala, Musi, and Nagarjunasagar projects to restore original storage levels. This strategic investment aims to secure the state's water future by combining the completion of new infrastructure with the vital maintenance of existing reservoirs to support the agricultural community.
