Telangana's Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project gets environmental clearance

The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 18 December 2017 accorded environmental clearance for the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project in Telangana.

However, it directed the Telangana Government to take care of changes in the micro-climatic conditions in the project area during the construction and post construction period of the project as it involves submergence of a large area.

The project is estimated to cost around Rs 80499.7 crore and is proposed to be completed in three years.

Environmental clearance accorded with some conditions
• The Expert Appraisal Committee directed that there is a need to plan a greenbelt and reservoir rim treatment in consultation with the State Forest Department with focus on local indigenous species.

• The construction work should be taken up after following due procedure of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

• Telangana Government should ensure that the losers of land should not have any grievances on compensation and the displacement should be done only after completing the process of land acquisition, including providing full compensation.

• It also called upon the State to file six monthly compliance reports to MoEF, Chennai, until completion of the modernisation works.

Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project
• The project seeks to provide drinking water facility for Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

• The total land required is about 32000 hectares and out of this, around 2866 hectares is the forest land.

• The total submergence area is estimated to be about 13706 hectares.

• It proposes to construct Medigadda barrage and two more barrages between Medigadda and Sripada Yellampally.

• It will have a canal system of about 1832 km. The project lies in the interstate boundary with submergence of 302 hectares in Maharashtra.

• It requires 4227 MW of power to be supplied by TSGenco.

Seven Districts Covered
The Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project calls for the construction of a stream across River Godavari near Madigadda village in Karimnagar district of Telangana.

It aims to provide irrigation facility in 7.38 lakh hectares covering seven districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Medak, Nalgonda and Rangareddy districts. It proposes to stabilise the existing command area of 7.62 lakh hectares.

Environment Ministry issues stage-I forest clearance for Kaleswaram project construction