The Telangana government Tuesday announced Telangana Water Grid project at an estimated cost of Rs.25,000 crore to permanently solve the drinking water problem in the state.

 

 The grid, which will use 160 TMC ft (thousand million cubic feet) water, will be completed in four years, said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Karimnagar Tuesday night.

 

 Winding up his day-long visit, the chief minister said the grid would use 80 TMC ft each from Godavari and Krishna rivers. All ongoing drinking water projects will be integrated into the proposed project.

 

 KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said the grid would be modeled on the lines of similar project undertaken in Gujarat. The state legislators and officials will visit Gujarat to study the project there. "If necessary, I will also visit Gujarat. We will do even better. This is a challenge but we will complete the project and show it," he said.

 

 The Narendra Modi government has already suggested all the states to consider adopting the Gujarat model of statewide water supply grid to achieve potable water security in their regions. KCR said he would lay foundation stone for the project at Nalgonda, a fluoride-affected region. The work will simultaneously begin in Karimnagar, Nalgonda and Khammam to cover all four regions of the state.

 

 The chief minister announced that 10 percent of water from all existing and new irrigation projects will be allocated for the grid and another 10 percent for industry. Terming Karimnagar as one of the four fastest growing towns outside Hyderabad, he vowed to transform the town and develop it on the lines of London and New York. He said a world-class ring road and four-lane roads would be built in Karimnagar.

 

 He also announced that Karimnagar will be developed as a major tourism centre. A park on the lines of Brindavan Gardens of Mysore will be developed on 400 acres.