Emergency pumping to address water scarcity

Hyderabad: With water levels depleting at rapid pace in Nagarjuna Sagar dam, the water board has decided to use emergency pumping from May 1. It has already finalised tenders at the cost of Rs 5 crore. The current water levels in the Nagarjuna Sagar dam are 513 feet and if the water level depletes below 510 feet, the water board would supply 270 million gallon a day from the Krishna River using emergency pumping stations.

According to the water board officials, if the water in Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir reaches below the 510 feet minimum draw down level (MDDL), the water board would pump the water into an open canal in the Krishna basin. He said from the open canal, the irrigation department would pump the water to Alimineti Madhava Reddy Srisailam Left Bank Canal Project (AMRP) through which it travels 9-km to Akkampally reservoir balancing reservoir water supplied to the city. And if the water level reaches below 496 feet, the water board should use emergency pumps which can draw water from 8-km.

When queried about the same subject, a senior HMWS&SB official said since the water levels have been depleting at alarming pace, the water board has to depend on emergency pumping to provide drinking water 2/3 of the city from Puttamgandi. 

He said that the water board has already completed the tender process and emergency pumping will start from first week of May.

Meanwhile, the water board has been supplying 270 MGD water from Krishna phase I, II and III and 150 MGD from Godavari phase I. The water board has stopped water supplies from Manjira/Singur reservoirs which has 120 million MGD capacity).