All You Wanted to Know About Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), a Project known for marvellous engineering, has been in debate for various reasons. But here is what we need to know! The first pump house was built at the place where more water is available - Kannepally (Medigadda), very near to Kaleshwaram temple and the Pranahitha merges with the Godavari. Soon after, the Laxmi Pump House submerged in flash floods on July 14-15, and opposition parties again made noise about the project. But, these voices forget the historical facts in such unprecedented scenarios. 
 
The Historical Facts:

Several projects built on the banks of Rivers worldwide suffered major setbacks and were later revived to normal. In India, the deadliest flash flood in history occurred on August 11, 1979, in Morbi, Gujarat. The Machchhu II dam is on the River Machhu. The tides between 12 to 30 feet high submerged the entire area within 20 minutes, resulting in the death of 25,000 people and significant loss of property, crops, etc. The Mumbai Deluge in 2005, the Srisailam dam and powerhouse submergence in 2009, and Uttarakhand's six hydropower projects wreckage in the flash floods in 2013, are recent memories. But, these unprecedented incidents was not attracted any political debate. So, why is the Kaleshwaram project at the centre of debate?
 
Why is it not an engineering failure?
 
The Laxmi pumphouse was built at 111 MSL (Mean Sea Level), which is 5 MSL higher than the Medigadda barrage at 106 MSL. The design was based on a century's historical data on the flood.
The Medigadda barrage was constructed with a designed discharge capacity of 13 lakh cusecs of water. But, contrary to the predictions or analysis made based on the century-long historical data, on July 14-15, it was an unprecedented 26 lakh cusecs of flood, double the Full Flood Level (FFL), a rare scenario. At the same time, there are only 15 lakh cusecs of floodwater at Sripada Yellampalli. The reason for this difference is the Pranahitha flood and catchment area flood added to the Godavari water at Kannepally.
 
Generally, the River Godavari experiences extreme flooding in the August-September months. Bt this time, a month early, in mid-July, with over 490 per cent of higher rainfall in surrounding areas, massive flooding took place. 39.5 mm of rain was recorded against the 6.7 mm of normal rainfall on July 14. The backwater from the barrage has submerged the Laxmi pumphouse. The other two pumphouses, Saraswathi at Annaram and Parvathi at Sundilla in Link-1 of Kaleshwaram, are safe because of the low flood level compared to that in Medigadda. The above data demonstrates that it is not an Engineering Failure but an 'Act of God'. The Central Water Resources Minister's comments on immature, ignorant, and politically motivated designs surprised many. 
 
What is the future of the Laxmi Pump house?
 
As mentioned above, the pump house was constructed at 111 MSL, per the authorities' approved design. With the flood height being more than 111 MSL, naturally, it led to the submergence of the pump house. Like other historical project revivals, the pump house will be revived in the shortest possible time. The government and the contracting agency are confident enough to start the pumping per the schedule.