Water Board initiates arrangements for emergency pumping of water for Hyderabad

With water levels at the Nagarjunasagar dam depleting with each passing day, the HMWS&SB has initiated emergency pumping arrangements.

HYDERABAD: With water levels at the Nagarjunasagar dam depleting with each passing day, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has initiated emergency pumping arrangements at the foreshore of Nagarjunasagar near Puttamgandi in Nalgonda district to avert serious drinking water crisis during summer.

The board invited tenders last week for installing 10 emergency pumps which are to cost Rs 1.54 crore to Rs 4.88 crore as the water level t Nagarjunasagar reached  a precarious level of 510 feet. The process of installing the emergency pumps is expected to be completed by the second week of April.

Emergency pumping at Puttamgandi will help HMWS&SB to draw water from the dead storage level at Nagarjunasagar. As against the drawl of 270 million gallons of water per day (MGD), HMWS&SB is now drawing 242 MGD from the Krishna Drinking Water Supply Scheme (KDWS) Phases 1, 2 and 3.

A few days ago, the state irrigation and command area development (I&CAD) department  asked HMWS&SB to make emergency pumping arrangements for drawing water from the Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) from March itself.

The I&CAD wanted the water board to  prepare for meeting drinking water requirements.Though HMWS&SB requested I&CAD to maintain the minimum level at over 510 feet at Nagarajunasagar to supply sufficient drinking water to citizens of Greater Hyderabad in the ensuing summer, the chances of maintaining that level look bleak. The present level is 510 feet and maintaining MDDL till May would not be possible due to poor storage at Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar. The emergency plan is devised to ensure drinking water supply to Hyderabad at least till July when the monsoon is expected to arrive.

Officials told Express that the water level in the Krishna (Nagarjunasgar) is not good. As against the full reservoir level of 590 ft, the present level is 510 ft. In terms of storage, there’s just 132 tmcft as against the capacity of 312.045 tmcft.

If the water level falls below 510 ft, emergency pumping motors need to be installed at Puttamgandi, which is 120 km away from the city, to draw water till the level reaches 496 feet.  Nearly one crore people living in Greater Hyderabad depend on the Krishna and Godavari which together supply over 370 MGD  water to the city and villages on the way.

Drawing of water from the four reservoirs _ Osmansagar, Himayatsagar, Singur and Manjira _ has been stopped completely. These four reservoirs used to supply 140 MGD to 150 MGD of water till last year.

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