Telangana: Devadula Lift Irrigation Project faces delays, cost escalation

Full operationalisation of the project may extend to 2027; key components such as 49.06-km underground tunnel, pump houses remain unfinished

Hyderabad: Originally planned to be completed by December 2025, the Devadula Lift Irrigation Project has seen multiple setbacks. Estimates now suggest that full operationalisation of the project may extend to even 2027. While 91 per cent of the works have been completed, key components such as the 49.06 km-long underground tunnel and some of the pump houses remain unfinished.

The Phase-III Package-III tunnel, a crucial infrastructure component, has faced leakage issues, calling for the use of steel pipes to resolve the problem. Officials have assured that insertion work will be completed by May 2025, but delays have left farmers, who had pinned high hopes on it, sceptical. The land acquisition issues too remain a bottleneck, with 2,956 acres still pending despite a major portion of the required land already being secured. The government has appointed an officer to expedite the process, but challenges persist.

Escalating costs and budget concerns

The financial burden of the project has skyrocketed from its initial estimate of Rs.6,016 crore to a staggering Rs.17,500 crore in 2025. So far, Rs.14,188 crore has been spent, and the 2025–26 budget has allocated Rs.11,800 crore for all the ongoing irrigation projects. The funding gaps remain a major concern. The Congress party which came to power in the State in December 2023, had pledged to complete the project within two years – at least by December 2025. But the financial constraints could pose hurdles.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy inspected the project’s progress recently and assured that pending works would be fast-tracked. The Ministers assured that Pump-1 will be commissioned by May 31 and Pump-03 by July 31, marking key milestones in the project’s completion. Despite these assurances, farmers remained highly sceptical as to the full completion of the project to irrigate 5.57 lakh acres in the region, which may take two more years.