1-km Long Trench in Yellampalli to Supply Water in Mancherial District

Adilabad: Authorities are digging a 1-km trench at the Yellampalli project to draw water into the intake well (pump house) of the Mission Bhagiratha so that adequate supply of drinking water is ensured for the households of Mancherial and Chennur Assembly constituencies.

The Yellampalli project supplies 331 cusecs of water to Hyderabad,121 cusecs to NTPC and 23 cusecs to Mancherial district daily. Sources said it will take four days to complete the digging if there is no rain.

In 2016, the same exercise had been done when there was zero storage in Yellampalli. Water was diverted to the intake well from 144 feet depth of river Godavari. At present, there is 3.8 tmc ft of water in the project out of its full capacity of 20 tmc ft.

For the first time in the last five years, the Yellampalli project has reached zero storage level. Mission Bhagiratha officials said the trench works are possible only when there is zero storage. With scanty rainfall in the upper reches, there is no inflow of water into the Yellampalli and Kadam projects and SRSP.

Yellampalli receives inflows for two to three weeks in July when the flood water is discharged from Kadam and SRSP and there is sufficient rain in upstream in Maharashtra.

It is for the first time that a long trench is being dug in the riverbed of the Yellampalli project to draw water to the pump house from where drinking water will be supplied to households in the municipality.

In view of the possible hardships for the people of Mancherial municipality, local MLA K. Premsagar Rao has asked officials to divert the water to the pump house.

Collector Deepak Kumar supervised the water diversion works and instructed officials to ensure drinking water is supplied to people of Mancherial constituency without break.

Executive engineer of Mission Bhagiratha Madhusudhan, municipal chairman and vice-chairman and Congress leaders are monitoring the situation from time to time.