Hyderabad: The state has lost 73 TMC of Godavari waters from the Medigadda barrage under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in the last six days. This happened because of a rush to inaugurate the project for political gain.
In October 2023, the seventh block of the Medigadda barrage was damaged due to poor construction and maintenance. This issue became a major topic during the 2023 Assembly elections.
To counter criticism, the BRS shared a drone video showing the barrage in good condition despite high water inflows. However, they didn’t mention that all 85 gates of the barrage had to be kept open, letting the water flow down to Andhra Pradesh and then into the sea. This means the barrage isn’t serving its purpose of storing water.
Irrigation officials say keeping the gates open is like not having a barrage at all. The government is waiting for recommendations from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) before starting repairs or reconstruction. Officials reported that the outflow from Medigadda was 41,200 cusecs on July 15 and 16, and it increased to 53,400 cusecs on July 18 and 3.42 lakh cusecs on July 19. On July 20, 2.80 lakh cusecs of water were discharged.
Heavy rains in Maharashtra and Telangana have increased the flood flow to Medigadda barrage. The NDSA has advised the state not to store water in the barrage, which could affect water supply for agriculture during Kharif and the next Rabi season.
The situation is similar at Annaram barrage upstream of Medigadda. The NDSA has asked the Irrigation department to stop storing water there as well. All 66 gates have been opened to prevent damage from heavy inflows experienced last year.
