Posted on June 8, 2017
As water at the Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) reaches its lowest ever level, the Water Board has decided to salvage water by dredging the canal.
This is a part of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s (HMWSSB) plans for secondary emergency pumping arrangements.
The Telangana Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD) department has allowed HMWSSB to dredge the canal for up to one kilometre. This would enable drawing of water from Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) at Puttamgandi for a few months till inflows arrive during the upcoming monsoon season.
Primary emergency pumping arrangements were put in place during March and April to draw 270 million gallons of water per day (MGD) when the water level fell below 508 feet, the dead storage level by installing ten motor pumps. The full reservoir level (FRL) of NSP is 590 feet, while present level is 502 feet. In terms of storage, there’s 118 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) as against the storage capacity of 312.045 tmcft.
Rs 4.50 crore sanctioned
The Water Board has sanctioned Rs 4.50 crore for the dredging and it would invite tenders in a day or two. The deepening would be done between 495 feet and 502 feet where 10 to 11 tmcft of water would be available for drawing from MDDL. The Board needs 1.5 tmcft to meet drinking water requirements of people living in GHMC limits for four months, if there is a delay in monsoon.
The other alternative of installing emergency pumping motors on floating waters is a costly affair and needs Rs 30 crore. As there is fractured rock at the bottom level, HMWS&SB took the opinion of Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) for deepening of canal through fractured rocks.
Tenders have been invited. The selected firm would be asked to complete canal dredging in a month. Presently, 430 MGD of water is being supplied to Hyderabad and villages enroute, Krishna (260 MGD), Godavari (114 MGD), Osmansagar (10 MGD), Singur (18 MGD) and Manjira (30 MGD).
Unforeseen circumstances
About 265 MGD of water is being supplied to twin cities from Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme (KDWS). HMWSSB officials said that it was the first time they were dredging the canal up to 495 feet level for water.
Source: The New Indian Express
