Description

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Context:

The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), India's national safety regulator for big dams, discovered "irreparable damage" in the structure of three barrages as part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP).

About Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project

Project Name	Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP)
Location	Godavari River, Telangana
Inauguration Date	June 21, 2019
Purpose	Irrigate 45 lakh acres, supply drinking water to Hyderabad, and support industrial use
Water Lifted	240 TMC (195 TMC from Medigadda, 20 TMC from Sripada Yellampalli, 25 TMC from groundwater)
Infrastructure	7 links, 28 packages, 500 km span, 1,800+ km canal network, 20 reservoirs, Asia's largest pump house at Ramadugu
Estimated Cost	₹80,000 crore to ₹1.2 lakh crore

River Godavari:

Godavari, also known as Dakshin Ganga, is India's second-longest river (after Ganga), flowing from Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra.
It runs 1,465 km eastward through Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
The major tributaries are Purna, Pranhita, Indravati, and Sabari (left bank) and Pravara, Manjira, and Manair (right bank).

NDSA:

The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) is a statutory agency headquartered in New Delhi that was established by the National Dam Safety Act of 2021 to govern and oversee dams, develop policies, handle disputes, and undertake awareness initiatives.

Issues with the Project

In October 2023, Pillar No. 20 of the Medigadda barrier sank, resulting in water damage.
The NDSA's April 2024 assessment found structural problems in all three barrages (Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla) due to poor design, a lack of geotechnical investigations, and inadequate safety standards.
Overloading the barrages (10 TMC of water stored instead of 2 TMC) damaged the foundation.
Despite being criticised as a "man-made disaster", the project costs the state ₹16,000 crore annually in loan and interest repayments.