projectAmaravati, Dec 15 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh governmentis contemplating to take up the interlinking of Godavari andPennar rivers.
The project has an estimated cost of Rs 80,000 croreand will enable storage of about 1500 thousand million cubicfeet (tmcft) of water.
WAPCOS, earlier known as Water and Power ConsultancyServices Limited, has prepared a detailed project report andsubmitted it to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here today.
A communiqué from the chief minister's office saidNaidu would make a presentation on the Godavari-Pennarinter-linking project to Union Water Resources Minister NitinGadkari when the latter visitÂ’s the state on December 23.
"The Godavari-Pennar integration project willfacilitate supply of drinking water to the four parchedRayalaseema districts as well as Prakasam and SPS Nelloredistricts besides ensuring water for irrigation and industrialneeds," the communiqué said.
It added that in all 320 tmcft of Godavari surpluswater could be diverted to Pennar through a lift scheme, whichwould require 3,625 MW of electricity.
As much as 7,000 acres of forest land and 25,000 acresof other land would have to be acquired to complete theGodavari-Pennar inter-linking project, the communiqué stated.
It said that two tunnels have to be dug between the(under-construction) Polavaram project and Prakasam Barragewhile a reservoir has to be built at Bollapalli.
Canals stretching to a length of 701 km also need tobe built between Polavaram and Sangam Barrage covering atleast five districts, it said.
While a hydrographic survey for the project has beencompleted, the geo-technical investigation is being carriedout.
CM Naidu asked officials of the state Water ResourcesDepartment to take up the Godavari-Pennar project in a phasedmanner to achieve quick results.
He also asked them to explore how much water fromGodavari could be diverted to Pennar using the current networkof canals and reservoirs.
"Once the inter-linking of these rivers is completed,we can store 1500 tmcft of water," the Chief Minister added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has come up with anotherproposal to build a new barrage on river Krishna midstream ofthe existing KL Rao Sagar and Prakasam Barrage.
It is estimated that this project would cost Rs 3,278crore and could be completed in three years.
The state government boasts of having completed the"first-ever" river inter-linking project by diverting Godavariwater into river Krishna through the controversial Pattisamlift scheme, which the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General)found fault with. PTI DBVBNM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.