Hyderabad, May 23 : Kaleshwaram, the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project built in Telangana and Mission Bhagiratha -- the ambitious drinking water project, have earned laurels at the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress held in the US. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) which organised the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress at Nevada, lauded the Kaleshwaram project as an enduring symbol of engineering progress and partnership. Maria C, Lehman, ASCE President, presented the proclamation to IT and Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao at the event. Rama Rao was invited to give a detailed presentation on the topic 'Many Benefits and Social Equity from Lifting a River: Story of the World's Largest Multi-stage Lift Irrigation Project' at the conference attended by over 1000 delegates from across the world. ASCE represents more than 1,50,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries. Founded in 1852, ASCE is America's oldest engineering society. The Minister had participated in this prestigious annual event held in Sacramento, California, on May 22, 2017. Back then, he explained the various water related initiatives taken up by the Telangana Government such as Kaleshwaram Project, Mission Bhageeratha and Mission Kakatiya taken up under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Earlier this year, a delegation from the ASCE had visited Telangana and toured the Kaleshwaram Project and they were impressed by the sheer scale and speed with which the project was executed. Speaking on the occasion, Minister KTR recounted the remarkable transformation of Telangana in the last nine years. "Telangana has successfully built the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, Kaleshwaram, and completed the ambitious Mission Bhagiratha, providing piped drinking water to every home in the state. These remarkable projects were not only completed in record time but also with utmost efficiency and cost-effectiveness," he said. The Minister established how once an arid Telangana region -- in severe distress due to lack of irrigation water, insufficient drinking water, rampant migration, and farmer suicides -- has transformed under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister. KTR presented the scale of the Kaleshwaram project, the amazing speed at which the various components of the project were built, the social equity and enormous benefits of the project. "This colossal engineering marvel was completed in a record span of just four years with an investment of $11 billion. The amount of earth moved during its construction would fill 101 Pyramids of Giza. The steel used in the project would be enough to build 66 Eiffel Towers, and the concrete poured would erect 53 Burj Khalifas." KTR said that planned investments in new irrigation projects and revitalization of existing systems contributed to the expansion of cultivated land and have led to the ushering of five revolutions in agriculture and allied sectors. "The Kaleshwaram Project has transformed Telangana into the new rice bowl of India, irrigating lakhs of acres with two cropping cycles. The gross irrigated land has increased by an impressive 119%, and paddy production has multiplied fourfold, from 3 million tons in 2015-16 to 15 million tons in 2022-23," he added. /IANS