Survey Work Begins For DPR Of Pranahita-Chevella Barrage
ADILABAD: Survey and survey work has begun at Pranahita river site in Kautala mandal in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) of Pranahita-Chevella dam at Thummidihatti. The exercise is being carried out by irrigation department officials along with Aarvee Associates, which won the DPR tender. Neighborhood residents expressed their happiness, stating that their long-time dreams were brought closer to reality.
Teams are examining water levels and submerged areas at the proposed project site near the confluence of Vainganga and Vardha rivers, which will later form Penganga. Officials also visited Asti village near the intersection. While the research team included Saradhi-led Vikram Reddy and Anand, the irrigation department team was headed by engineers R. Tirupati and K. Venkata Ramana, while the technical staff was led by B. Prabhakar, executive engineer of Kagaznagar circle.
Prabhakar told Deccan Chronicle He said Aarvee Associates will conduct studies to divert water from Pranahita-Chevella dam to Sundilla dam of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) and finalize the DPR. The water will then be transferred to the Yellampalli irrigation project using the existing KLIS system.
He stated that an old canal dug decades ago, covering a long distance of 70 km up to Mailaram in Nennela mandal of Bellampalli constituency, will be examined for forest clearance, land acquisition and silt removal.
The proposed dam will be located within 1.5 km of Shivuni in Maharashtra, upstream of Thummidihatti district. While the earlier DPR had fixed the dam height at 148 metres, with the consent of Maharashtra, the new DPR will propose a 150-metre dam, requiring re-negotiations with Maharashtra if inundation issues arise.
Proposals to create an ayacut of 1.40 lakh acres in Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts at a cost of ₹2,798 crore have been sent to the chief irrigation engineer, Mancherial, for approval.
Sirpur (T) MLA Palvai Harish Babu said that water cannot be taken directly to Yellampalli as coal mines are blocking the canal route. Instead, it will flow by gravity into the Sundilla, reducing canal costs. He added that the people of Komaram Bheem Asifabad region have pinned high hopes on the dam.
