With Telangana sitting on a seasonal Godavari flood pulse, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has ordered officials to extract every possible litre — directing maximum pumping from the Ellampalli, Devadula and Sitarama lift irrigation projects and fast-tracking long-pending compensation payments to submerged villages. The directive came at a high-level irrigation review held at MCRHRDI, Hyderabad on 12 August 2026.

Record pumping from Devadula — and a push to go further

Water Resources Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy told the meeting that Devadula is already lifting water using 9 pumps simultaneously — a scale the project has never operated at before. The Chief Minister responded by pushing for even greater utilisation, instructing officials to identify and resolve any minor technical snags at both Devadula and Sitarama projects without delay. The target is clear: if those bottlenecks are cleared, storage in the Baswapur and Gouravelli reservoirs becomes possible, unlocking irrigation potential for thousands of acres in drought-prone northern Telangana.

Compensation backlog and the villages still waiting

A recurring fault line in Telangana's mega-irrigation story surfaced again at the review: pending compensation for villages and agricultural lands affected by project submergence. The Chief Minister acknowledged that a handful of villages and small parcels of farmland under several projects still await settlement. He directed that an action plan be drawn up immediately to clear these dues, and ordered Irrigation and Revenue department officials to conduct field visits and prepare ground-truth reports on flood-affected villages, compensation status and rehabilitation needs. Villages facing immediate displacement are to receive payment without further delay.

Gattu, Goudendoddi capacity study and a new consultant

Looking beyond the current season, CM Revanth directed a comprehensive feasibility study on expanding the pumping capacity of the Gattu and Goudendoddi lift schemes. He also ordered the appointment of a consultant specifically for the Goudendoddi Pumped Storage Project — a signal that the state is exploring long-term energy-storage potential alongside its irrigation mandate.

NDSA guidelines govern Medigadda, Sundilla and Annaram

The meeting confronted one of Telangana's most politically sensitive infrastructure questions head-on. Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy confirmed that water is not being stored at the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages — all part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project — strictly in compliance with directives from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). The minister further disclosed that structural defects have been found at both Medigadda and Sundilla barrages. The Chief Minister directed officials to remain in active consultation with the NDSA on remedial steps, making clear that safety protocols will not be bypassed for operational gains.

Telangana's Godavari ambitions have always been vast; the harder discipline is making them safe, equitable and functional at the same time. Whether pending compensations are cleared and NDSA consultations yield a timeline for restoring barrage operations will determine whether this review marks a genuine turning point — or another item on a long list of unfinished promises to the farmers waiting downstream.