KARIMNAGAR: Officials from the irrigation department began pumping water from the Kaleshwaram Link-2 Yellampalli project in Peddapalli district on Wednesday, following heavy rainfall over the past two days in several areas of North Telangana. The decision to start water lift operations was prompted by significant rainfall in the upper catchment area of the Godavari River, along with the release of 10,000 cusecs of water from the Kadem project, which raised water levels in the Yellampalli project.

As of now, the water level in the project has reached 13.801 TMC ft, against a full capacity of 20.175 TMC ft. This increase prompted officials to begin lifting water to create space for additional inflows. The process was initiated at around 6.30 am, when two motors were started at the Nandi pump house in Nandi Medaram, Peddapalli district. Half an hour later, a third motor was activated, enabling the pumping of 9,450 cusecs of water into the Nandi reservoir.

From the Nandi reservoir, the water is being supplied through twin tunnels to the Gayathri Pump House in Laxmipur, located in the Ramadagu mandal of Karimnagar district, and subsequently to the Mid Manair Dam (MMD) reservoir. This is the second time officials have lifted water from the Kaleshwaram Link-2 Yellampalli project and directed it to the Gayathri Pump House.

During a recent visit to Karimnagar district for a ration card distribution programme, ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Tummala Nageshwara Rao, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, and Adluri Laxman Kumar expressed concern that farmers, led by BRS leaders, might stage protests demanding the release of water and disrupt the event. Consequently, officials commenced operation of two motors at the Nandi pump house to supply water to the Gayathri Pump House.