Kaleshwaram’s ugly reality drowns Telangana’s dream

Kaleshwaram Project has had a large financial impact.

Kaleshwaram was not just an irrigation project; it was a grand vision and a promise of prosperity. The BRS government, which administered Telangana for most part of the first decade after the state’s formation, claimed it was the world's most extensive lift irrigation system and the highlight of Telangana’s development. However, today, it is seen as a failure—an expensive project arising out of political ambition and marred by poor execution.

Political leaders like K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), KTR, and Harish Rao often highlighted Kaleshwaram as a major engineering achievement and a symbol of their political strength. They presented a bold plan but ended up with a costly and ineffective project that has not delivered as promised.

Compromised safety

The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has found that the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages are structurally unsafe. Cracks have been visible since 2019, but they were ignored. These cracks reflect bigger problems in Telangana’s governance and financial health.

On April 29, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters, “The blame for Kaleshwaram’s failure falls on the BRS government. The state now spends ₹16,000 crore yearly on loans for this failed project.” He said the cabinet would discuss the NDSA report before making a final decision and promised those responsible for the project’s failure would face the consequences. “This betrayal will not go unpunished,” he added.

Reddy described the NDSA’s findings as a clear criticism of the previous government. He mentioned issues like sand piping, cavities forming under the raft, design flaws, and structural problems in Block 7 of Medigadda, with similar issues noted in other blocks. “You claimed you were creating wonders with Kaleshwaram,” he said. “But you designed it, you built it, and it collapsed during your time.”

Charges of political bias, but the inspection was by a central agency

In 2023, the Congress defeated BRS to form the government in Telangana. It’s led to accusations that the safety report’s credibility is undermined by charges of bias.

Reddy refuted the allegations. He said: “It is a national group made up of top dam safety experts. Neither I nor CM Revanth Reddy appointed it. You (BRS) should be ashamed that your project was criticised by an agency established during your own rule,” he said.

Former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao held a press conference to respond to Uttam, accusing him of repeating the same points and praising an institution he once criticised.

Rao also pointed out that the timing of the NDSA’s reports—preliminary, interim, and final—coincides with the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and BRS's silver jubilee, which suggests a political motive. He highlighted Congress's failure to build the Tummidihatti barrage before 2014 while they were in power at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Kaleshwaram Project’s large financial impact

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that only 40,888 acres were irrigated by March 2022, far less than the promised 18.26 lakh. The government has spent nearly ₹1 lakh crore, including ₹64,204 crore in loans. Because of missed payments, an extra ₹19,556 crore in interest was added. The total debt is now ₹87,370 crore.

Each year, the interest and loan payments cost between ₹10,000 and ₹14,000 crore, while the income generated is only ₹14,709 crore. Power charges alone amount to ₹10,374 crore. The numbers do not add up. 

Politics trumps engineering expertise

Narender Reddy, an engineer, testified before the Justice P.C. Ghosh Commission about political interference in engineering decisions. He said, “We felt pressure to approve designs based on 2D studies. The Chief Design Officer didn’t have time for a 3D study. We were not invited to important reviews. The locations for the barrage sites were changed after we submitted the Detailed Project Report.”

Additionally, dam safety rules were ignored. No independent audit was done. Studies that should have taken a year were rushed into in just four months. Barrages were built before the final plans were ready. Construction started before the designs were complete. This was not proper engineering; it was a bad show.

The BRS government abandoned the original Pranahita-Chevella project, which was cheaper and could have irrigated over 1.6 million acres. Instead, they chose the Kaleshwaram project.

As a result, Telangana opted for a more expensive and riskier project and selected a location with geological issues. Medigadda (the location where water from the Godavari is lifted) began to leak during its first monsoon, and no regular maintenance was done. By 2023, it had sunk.

Contractors like L&T distanced themselves from the project, stating they only followed government-approved designs. The irrigation department estimated that repairs would cost ₹470 crore but did not have the funds to start.

A symbol of mismanagement

Now, Kaleshwaram stands as a symbol of poor management and wasteful spending. It was meant to irrigate over 1.8 million acres and support another 470,000 acres. Instead, it managed to irrigate less than 41,000 acres. The promises made have failed, but the debt remains.

Telangana needs real accountability—through legal, political, and financial means. Kaleshwaram was promoted as the future of Telangana, but it may end up being a warning for the state.