The Kannepalli coffer dam proposal has emerged as a possible short-term water intervention for Telangana farmers, with TRS chief Kalvakuntla Kavitha urging the state government to begin construction by the end of November to divert Pranahita river water to irrigation reservoirs.
Kavitha made the demand after inspecting water flow in the Pranahita river at the Kannepalli pump house on Monday along with party leaders. Addressing the media, she said nearly 2 tmcft of water was flowing unused every day despite drought conditions across Telangana. She proposed building a temporary coffer dam at an elevation of 93 metres above the Kannepalli pump house.
According to Kavitha, the structure could divert Pranahita water to the Annaram and Sundilla reservoirs while bypassing the damaged Medigadda barrage. She said this would help recharge the wider water network and provide irrigation support during a critical period for standing crops. The proposal has not been presented in the supplied report as an approved government project.
Kavitha estimated the cost of the proposed intervention at ₹25 crore and said it could be completed within 45 days. The TRS, she said, would submit the technical details to the state government and its engineers for review. Any decision on feasibility, design, clearances, funding or execution would therefore follow that technical assessment.
The demand comes as Telangana faces pressure to protect crops already sown across much of its agricultural land. Kavitha said crops had been planted on 1.1 crore acres out of the state’s 1.36 crore acres of arable land and were at critical stages requiring urgent water and power supplies. She also called on the government to procure power immediately to support irrigation pumping.
The proposal is linked to the continuing operational importance of the Medigadda barrage, which Kavitha described as damaged. She urged the government to begin repair work at Medigadda at the same time as it considered the Kannepalli intervention, arguing that restoration should not delay water pumping for crops.
Kavitha also warned of an agitation at the Kannepalli pump house if construction was not initiated by the deadline she set. She asked the government to keep political differences aside while responding to farmers’ concerns and described the current period as suitable for restoration work.
The immediate next step identified in the report is the submission of the proposed coffer dam’s technical details to the government and engineers for review. The state’s response, including whether it accepts the design, cost and 45-day construction estimate, remains pending.
