Uttam Kumar Reddy Orders Scientific Desiltation of Telangana Reservoirs

On Wednesday, Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy directed state officials at the secretariat in Hyderabad to adopt scientific methods for the desiltation of major irrigation projects. The initiative is aimed at restoring the storage capacity of the state's reservoirs and ensuring long-term flood protection.

Reviewing the ongoing works, the minister emphasized that reservoirs situated in the Godavari and Krishna basins must regain their original capacities. According to Reddy, this restoration is essential to secure the water supply, expand the state's irrigation potential, and reduce overall flood risks.

During the meeting, Reddy warned officials that delaying these preventive measures could prove highly costly for the state. To illustrate the potential risks, he cited the floods in Punjab last year, which inundated 16 districts and forced that government to spend nearly ₹2,000 crore on damages and compensation. He stressed that systematic desiltation and the restoration of drainage could have avoided such excess expenditure.

The minister urged officials to study successful desiltation models implemented in other states and align their strategies with national guidelines on sediment management. Specifically, Reddy pointed to the Mangalam Dam project undertaken in Kerala in 2017. In that project, scientifically planned desiltation successfully reduced sedimentation while generating economic benefits from the excavated material. He stated that Telangana should adapt similar models to suit its local conditions.

The review meeting also focused on specific regional projects. Reddy reviewed the various challenges currently faced in desilting the Kadam project. He also assessed the ongoing progress at the Lower Manair Dam and the Mid Manair reservoir, directing officials to resolve any operational bottlenecks delaying the works.

Furthermore, the minister directed the chief engineers of the Sri Ram Sagar and Nizam Sagar projects to conduct comprehensive assessments of their respective reservoirs. They have been asked to submit detailed recommendations on feasible measures to restore the lost storage capacity.