Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed irrigation officials to carry out lift operations at full capacity from the Yellampalli, Devadula, and Sitarama projects to ensure maximum utilisation of available Godavari River water. The directive came during a high-level review meeting of the Irrigation Department in Hyderabad, signalling the state government's intent to extract optimal yield from the river ahead of the ongoing monsoon season.

Key Directives from the Review Meeting

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy noted that, in line with recommendations by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), water is currently not being stored in the Sundilla, Annaram, and Medigadda barrages — all components of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. He stressed the need to strictly adhere to NDSA guidelines and directed that the authority be consulted immediately on identified structural defects.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy briefed the Chief Minister that defects had been found in both the Medigadda and Sundilla barrages. He also informed the meeting that water lifting operations using nine pumps at the Devadula project were already under way — described as an unprecedented operational scale. The Chief Minister instructed officials to resolve any pending minor issues related to lift operations at the Devadula and Sitarama projects without delay.

Farmer Compensation and Rehabilitation

The review also covered the long-pending matter of compensation to farmers whose land was acquired under various irrigation projects. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered officials to prepare an immediate action plan for disbursing outstanding compensation to affected farmers in several villages.

Irrigation and Revenue officials were directed to conduct field visits and submit factual reports on villages at risk of submergence, as well as on pending compensation and rehabilitation cases. The Chief Minister made clear that compensation to villages facing immediate impact must be released without further delay, noting that completing this process would enable the filling of the Baswapur and Gouravelli projects.

Capacity Expansion and New Consultancy

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also ordered a comprehensive study on increasing the operational capacity of the Gattu and Gudemdoddi lift irrigation schemes. Separately, he directed the appointment of a consultant for the Gudemdoddi pumped-storage project, pointing to the state's broader ambition to expand water storage and power generation infrastructure.

Officials Present

The meeting was attended by CM Principal Secretary V. Seshadri, CM Secretary Manicka Raj, State Irrigation Secretary E. Sridhar, and R&R Commissioner Shiva Kumar Naidu, among other senior officials.

With the monsoon season providing a limited window, the pace at which Telangana resolves the Kaleshwaram barrage defects and clears farmer compensation will determine how much of the Godavari's current flow the state can actually harness.