Last weekend, I passed by this long stretch of road, surrounded by a lush green forest region. I have asked my driver to pause the vehicle for few moments, to record this clip. This place is around Bhupalpally village, 2 hours from Hyderabad, an hour before the KLIP project area.

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), featured in the recent Discovery Channel program, is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram Bhupalpally, Telangana, India. Currently the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, its farthest upstream influence is at the confluence of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers.

The Pranahita River is itself a confluence of various smaller tributaries including the Wardha, Painganga, and Wainganga rivers which combine to form the seventh-largest drainage basin on the subcontinent, with an estimated annual discharge of more than 280 TMC. It remains untapped as its course is principally through dense forests and other ecologically sensitive zones such as wildlife sanctuaries.