Pulichinthala Project

{{Short description|Dam in Andhra Pradesh, India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2019}} {{More citations needed|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox dam | name = Pulichintala Project | name_official = K.L Rao Sagar | image = File:Pulichintala Project.png | image_size = 280px | image_caption = Pulichinthala Dam | image_alt = | location_map = India Andhra Pradesh | location_map_size = | location_map_caption = | location_map_alt = | coordinates = {{coord|16|45|15|N|80|03|24|E|type:landmark_region:IN-AP|display=inline,title}} | country = [[India]] | location = [[Pulichintala]] village, [[Bellamkonda]], [[Palnadu district]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://irrigationap.cgg.gov.in/wrd/static/approjects/KLRaoProject.html|publisher= Ap Irrigation Department|title=K L Rao Sagar|date=12 January 2013|access-date=13 August 2019}}</ref> | purpose = [[Irrigation]] & [[Water supply]] | status = | construction_began = 08 August 2009 | opening = 7 December 2013 | cost = 1850 crore rupees | owner = [[Government of Andhra Pradesh]] | operator = [[Andhra Pradesh]] | dam_type = | dam_crosses = [[Krishna River]] | dam_height = 42.24 m | dam_length = 2,922 m | dam_elevation_crest = | dam_width_crest = | dam_width_base = 31 m | dam_volume = | spillway_count = | spillway_type = [[Open channel|Controlled]] | spillway_capacity = 10 lakh cusecs | res_name = Pulichinthala Reservoir | res_capacity_total = 46 [[Tmcft]] | res_capacity_active = 36.23 [[Tmcft]] | res_capacity_inactive = | res_catchment = 240,732 km<sup>2</sup> | res_surface = 144 km<sup>2</sup> | res_max_length = | res_max_width = | res_max_depth = | res_elevation = | res_tidal_range = | plant_name = | plant_coordinates = | plant_operator = [[APGENCO]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/proj_mon/status_he_execution.pdf |title= Status of Hydro Electric Projects under Execution for 12th Plan & beyond |access-date= 30 June 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140715003433/http://www.cea.nic.in/reports/proj_mon/status_he_execution.pdf |archive-date= 15 July 2014 }}</ref> | plant_commission = {{start date|2016|09|22}} | plant_decommission = | plant_type = | plant_hydraulic_head = 25 Meters | plant_turbines = 4 × 30 MW [[Kaplan turbine]] | plant_capacity = 120 MW | plant_capacity_factor = | plant_annual_gen = | website = {{URL|https://irrigationap.cgg.gov.in/wrd/dashBoard}} | extra = }} [[File:KL Rao Sagar Pulichinthala Project entrance.png|alt=Dr. KL Rao Sagar Pulichinthala Project entrance|thumb|291x291px|Project entrance]] The '''Pulichintala Project''' is a multi-purpose [[water management]] project for [[irrigation]], [[Hydropower|hydropower generation]], and [[flood control]] in the state of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[India]], named after the prominent civil engineer, [[Kanuri Lakshmana Rao]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2023-07-15 |title='Father of Irrigation' K.L. Rao remembered on his 121st birth anniversary in Andhra University in Visakhapatnam |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/father-of-irrigation-kl-rao-remembered-on-his-121st-birth-anniversary-in-andhra-university-in-visakhapatnam/article67083992.ece |access-date=2024-10-23 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It is a crucial irrigation facility for farmers in four coastal districts: [[West Godavari]], [[Krishna]], [[Guntur]], [[Palanadu]], and [[Prakasam district|Prakasam]], covering over 13 [[lakh]] [[acre]]s. It has 24 gates and a balancing reservoir with a capacity of 46 [[Tmcft]] at {{convert|175|ft|m|0}} [[Mean sea level|MSL]] full reservoir level (FRL).<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url= http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Pulichintala_D06327 |title= Pulichintala D06327 |access-date=30 June 2014}}</ref>

==History== In 1911, British engineer [[William Henry Ellis (engineer)|Col. Ellis]] proposed an irrigation project upstream of the [[Prakasam Barrage]]. At the time, the [[Colonial India|British government]] showed little interest in the proposition.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Jonathan|first=P. Samuel|date=2013-12-08|title=Pulichantala dedicated to nation|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/pulichantala-dedicated-to-nation/article5434456.ece|access-date=2021-07-14|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Later,{{When|date=September 2025|reason=what year? There's nearly a century between the British engineer's suggestion and started of the first project. Mentioning a year for this "push being led" would narrow things down in terms of timeframe.}} <ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=K. L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=850aAAAAMAAJ|title=Cusecs Candidate: Memoirs of an Engineer|date=1978|publisher=Metropolitan|pages=31|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-01-07/hyderabad/27123919_1_prakasam-barrage-pulichintala-krishna-delta |title=Pulichintala project to water Prakasam barrage ayacut - Times of India |website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127183600/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-01-07/hyderabad/27123919_1_prakasam-barrage-pulichintala-krishna-delta |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It was the first project to start under the ambitious [[Jalayagnam]] program in the year 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=KLRao Sagar Pulichintala Project |url=https://irrigationap.cgg.gov.in/wrd/static/approjects/KLRaoProject.html}}</ref> Financial tie-up commenced in 2009.

On 7 December 2013, the project was ready for a trial run,<ref>{{cite web |title=Pulichintala project on August 15 |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130710/news-politics/article/pulichintala-project-august-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715033948/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130710/news-politics/article/pulichintala-project-august-15 |archive-date=2013-07-15 |website=[[Deccan Chronicle]]}}</ref> and it started impounding water in August 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Engineers complete trial run of Pulichintala Project |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Engineers-complete-trial-run-of-Pulichintala-Project/articleshow/40313223.cms |access-date=16 August 2014 |website=[[The Times of India]]|date=16 August 2014 }}</ref> It was fully completed in September 2018.<ref>{{Citation|title=AP Govt Plans to Develop Pulichintala Project as Tourist Place {{!}} Pulichintala Project {{!}} AP24x7|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdKT0BimzXI|language=en|access-date=2020-01-19}}</ref> The total cost of the project exceeded Rs.1850 crores.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==Project==

The irrigation facility is in the Pulichintala village, located in the [[Palnadu district]] near the [[Krishna River]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.apgenco.gov.in/viewHTMLpage.asp?lfile=uploadedfiles/Pulichinthala.htm |title= Pulichintala project progress report, APGenCo |access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> It is between the [[Vykuntapuram barrage]] (near [[Amaravati]]) and the [[Nagarjuna Sagar dam]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/naidu-lays-foundation-stone-for-barrage-across-krishna/article26265021.ece|title=Naidu lays foundation stone for barrage across Krishna|last=Srinivas|first=Rajulapudi|date=2019-02-14|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-03-01|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It has a 30 [[Tmcft]] live storage capacity to impound river floodwaters generated from the [[catchment area]] located downstream of [[Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond|Nagarjuna Sagar Tail Pond]]. The project reservoir provides a water supply to the downstream [[Prakasam Barrage]] that then can be sent out through the [[Pattiseema]] lift/[[Polavaram Project|Polavaram]] irrigation canal during monsoon months.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

The Vellatur lift irrigation scheme (constructed near {{Coord|16|42|44|N|80|00|29|E|name=Pulichintala lift scheme}}), irrigates 13,000 acres in the [[Nalgonda district]]. It draws water from the Pulichintala reservoir.<ref>{{cite web |title=KCR, Harish Rao lying on Pulichintala issue: Uttam |date=27 June 2016 |url=http://www.siasat.com/news/kcr-harish-rao-lying-pulichintala-issue-uttam-979080/ |access-date=28 September 2016}}</ref> The lift can pump water from {{convert|120|ft|m|0}} MSL when the reservoir's gross storage is as low as 4 Tmcft. The proposed [[Yadadri Thermal Power Plant]] would also draw water from the reservoir.{{cn|date=August 2023}}

==Godavari Penna River Linking==

{{Main articles|Vykuntapuram barrage}}{{Confusing|section|reason=there are a lot of confusing jargon and unclear explanations|date=June 2022}} The Godavari Penna River linking project was constructed to stabilize the existing irrigated area under the [[Nagarjuna Sagar Dam|Nagarjuna Sagar right canal]]. The new lift would have greenfield alignment, and its first phase consists of five-step ladder pumping stages that transfer 7,000 [[Cubic foot|cusecs]] of [[Godavari River]] water from [[Prakasam Barrage]] to deliver 73 Tmcft of Godavari water into the Nagarjuna Sagar right canal near [[Nekarikallu]].{{Clarify|date=June 2022|reason=Where do the cusecs go? Where did the TMCs come?}}

With FRL 25M the newly created [[Vykuntapuram barrage|Vykuntapuram Barrage]] pond will have backwaters beyond [[Pokkunuru]] up to the toe of the Pulichinthala Project. It is more economical to construct the first stage pump house to lift water from the Prakasam Barrage backwater into the newly created Vykuntapuram Barrage pond and the second Lift stage from the Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to the existing [[KLRao Sagar multipurpose irrigation project|K.L Rao Sagar]] Pulichintala Project and later lift Stages from K.L Rao Sagar to [[Nagarjuna Sagar Dam|Nagarjuna Sagar]] right canal. It will shorten the length of this lift project canal, Pressure Main and fewer lift stages and also enable to lift of water up to [[Srisailam Dam|Srisailam Project]] via the existing [[Francis turbine|Reversible Reverse turbine]] pump houses in [[Nagarjuna Sagar Dam]] and its [[Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond|tail pond project]]. It is even more economical if the construction of a new gravity canal from [[Ibrahimpatnam mandal, NTR district|Ibrahimpatnam]] to Vykuntapuram Barrage pond to deliver the [[Polavaram Project|Polavaram right main canal]]/ [[Budameru Rivulet|Budameru diversion canal]] waters directly into the Vykuntapuram barrage pond since Polavaram right main canal level is 33 m MSL at Ambapuram hill near [[Vijayawada]].{{cn|date=August 2023}}

A low-level, lift canal from the Krishna river located near {{Coord|16|42|50|N|80|08|24|E|type:landmark_region:IN-AP}} at {{convert|20|m|ft|0}} MSL downstream of [[Pulichintala]] dam will be executed to feed [[Godavari River|Godavari]] water diverted from Polavaram Dam to some of the existing command area (situated below 60 m MSL) under Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal to facilitate the extension of Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal connecting [[Kandaleru Dam|Kandaleru]] feeder canal / [[Somasila Dam]] reservoir serving irrigation needs in [[Prakasam district|Prakasam]], [[Nellore district|Potti Sriramulu Nellore]] and [[Chittur district|Chittur]] districts including [[Telugu Ganga project|Chennai drinking water supply]]. A branch from this lift canal is also extended up to Pulichinthala dam (FRL 53.34 m MSL) to store Godavari water in Pulichintala reservoir during drought years and to irrigate lowlands along the [[Krishna River|Krishna river]] up to Pulichintala dam.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/070916/pulichintala-a-capital-saviour.html |title= Pulichintala, a capital saviour|date= 7 September 2016|access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20131127183600/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-01-07/hyderabad/27123919_1_prakasam-barrage-pulichintala-krishna-delta Pulichintala project to water Prakasam barrage ayacut]

[[Category:Dams in Andhra Pradesh]] [[Category:Irrigation in Andhra Pradesh]] [[Category:2013 establishments in Andhra Pradesh]] [[Category:Dams completed in 2013]]