VIJAYAWADA: The State Water Resources Department has prepared multiple proposals for diverting surplus Godavari water to Srisailam, an idea envisaged after Chief Ministers of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and K Chandrasekhara Rao, met last month to judiciously use available water for the prosperity of both the States.
The proposals will be discussed by the Engineer-in-Chiefs and other experts from AP and Telangana, before submitting a report to the Chief Ministers by mid-July.
The CMs were scheduled to meet on Monday in Hyderabad, but sources said that it has been pushed to Tuesday. In the meeting, the officials will deliberate on the available options put forth by both Telangana and AP delegations to prepare a final report.
The two options that the officials have preliminarily proposed include building a reservoir at Dummugudem tail pond to divert 4 TMC of water, two each to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar, and tapping two TMC from Polavaram and diverting it to Pulichintala to Nagarjuna Sagar.
“A reservoir at Dummugudem is a desirable alternative. We can divert 4 TMC of water per day from there. We can have the water branched off into two canals, which will divert 2 TMC each to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar (through tail pond),” explained a retired engineer involved in the process of preparing the proposals.
Over 2,500 TMC of water flows into the sea from Godavari river every year. As the flooding lasts for at least 90 days, the government plans to tap 4 TMC of water a day.
The other idea is to build a reservoir near Papikondalu in West Godavari district, to which two TMC of Godavari water from Polavaram could be diverted. “From there, through a canal, we can bring the water to Krishna basin till Pulichintala. Of course, we have to dig a tunnel, besides the canal, near Mylavaram/Jakkampudi as there is a hill there. We are examining these ideas, especially technical and financial viability, to identify the best option in a few days,” the engineer observed.
However, independent experts suggest the officials consider the option of widening Polavaram Right Main Canal (RMC). While the RMC has a capacity to divert 1 TMC a day at present, irrigation expert Yerneni Nagendranath suggested that its capacity be increased to 3 TMC a day.
“Then, once Polavaram is complete, we can divert to Krishna Basin near Vijayawada. From there, through Vykuntapuram Barrage, we can move it to Pulichintala project. Diversion from Pulichintala to Nagarjuna Sagar can be easily done, and from there to Srisailam,” Nagendranath explained. “This will be cost effective as we don’t need to build any new project, besides Vykuntapuram which is already planned. It could be completed within two years, unlike the proposed projects which may take more time,” he noted.
Technical experts , however, pointed out that the slope of the Polavaram RMC will not allow diversion of 3 TMC of water a day as there is no adequate slope to enable the flow.
“We have to dig another canal, which will increase project cost. Instead of tapping 4 TMC from Polavaram, we propose to divert 2 TMC from there and remaining from Indravati and Pranahita. That is why we proposed a new reservoir at a higher contour and a canal till Pulichintala. We still need to carry out a detailed study,” the retired engineer said.
