HYDERABAD: With Telangana Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD) Department turning down the request of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) to maintain Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) of 510 plus above feet in Nagarjuna Sagar level, HMWS&SB has decided to make emergency arrangements to install 10 emergency pumps in the light of ensuing hot summer.
About Rs 5 crore would be spent for pumping arrangements to draw 270 MGD of water up to August. Another two standby pumps would be arranged. Emergency pumps will draw 900 cusecs of water. After getting sanctions, tenders would be floated by this month end and works would start in early April.
The Water Board Managing Director, M Dana Kishore in a letter addressed to I&CAD Engineer-in-Chief, C Muralidhar last month has requested the department to maintain the MDDL of 510 plus feet so as to supply sufficient dunking water to the Greater Hyderabad limits and enroute villages in the forth coming months including summer.
However, ENC of I&CAD informed Water Board Managing Director that about 50 TMC of water will be required to irrigate ayacut under Nagarjunasagar Left Canal System (NSLC) in Telangana during Rabi 2017-18 against which action plan was approved for irrigating four lakh acres with only 40 TMC of water in view of the limited availability of water. Out of 50 TMC, about 28 TMC of water is already utilised in February first week and further there is requirement of 22 TMC exclusively for Telangana Ayacut apart from the demands of Andhra Pradesh state NSLC or NSP.
Further, there would be a requirement of about 25 TMC for drinking needs under Mission Bhagiratha and HMWS&SB. In view of the above requirements and further demands for Srisailam project, water may not be sufficient for maintaining water at 510 feet in Nagarjuna Sagar Project. To save the standing crops over a large expand and to meet the drinking water requirements in the coming months water level go up to 500 feet plus.As such, it is requested to make necessary arrangements to draw water upto 500 feet or even below till the onset of coming monsoon. Primary emergency pumping arrangements have to be put in place to draw 270 million gallons of water per day (MGD) when the water level fall below 500-505 feet.
HMWS&SB officials told Express that present water levels in Nagarjunasagar is better than last year. As on today, water level in NSP is about 522 feet, last year it was 511 feet. The full reservoir level (FRL) of NSP is 590 feet, while present level is 522 feet.
Presently, 448 MGD of water is being supplied to Hyderabad and villages enroute, Krishna (268 MGD), Godavari (132 MGD), Singur (18 MGD) and Manjira (30 MGD).
Why did I&CAD turn down the request?
50 TMC of water would be required to irrigate ayacut under Nagarjunasagar Left Canal System.
28 TMC has already been utilised
Another 25 TMC of water is required for drinking needs under Mission Bhagiratha and HMWS&SB