Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has said the govt was giving top priority to the Singur dam and would not compromise on protecting and rehabilitating this vital structure that supplies drinking water to Hyderabad and supports irrigation in surrounding areas.At a high-level meeting at the secretariat on Wednesday, the minister was informed about the safety features of several dams in the state, noting that caution was sounded by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the Singur project and the state officials initiated follow-up measures. He directed immediate technical interventions, underwater inspections, and accelerated repair works to avert risks.The Singur Dam (M Baga Reddy Singur Project), located in Sangareddy district, faced scrutiny since mid-2025 when assessments revealed embankment cracks, slope erosion, revetment damage, and plunge pool issues. These deficiencies raised alarms about potential flooding downstream. The reservoir, with a gross capacity of 29.91 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft), supplies 6–7 tmc ft annually to Hyderabad. The minister stressed that operations involving high risk would be halted until full strengthening was achieved.He ordered sonar checks and underwater surveys below the bund level to detect hidden damage without draining, with findings to be submitted within 2–3 days. He announced plans to visit the dam soon and pressed contractors to complete works within one season to avoid crop holidays.Apart from dam safety, the minister reviewed Singur canal lining progress. Of the 13 km stretch, nine km was completed and four km remained, with urgency to finish.Uttam Kumar Reddy also reviewed irrigation infrastructure issues pertaining to Mulugu district. He wanted officials to fast-track the land acquisition process, which resulted in delays in the implementation of the ongoing projects.He stated that chief minister A Revanth Reddy announced 5,000 crore allocation exclusively for land acquisition in irrigation projects, with a deadline of June 2 to complete the process and give a big push to all ongoing schemes across the state.
