GUNTUR: The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA & UD) department approved the proposal of Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) for replacement of old pipelines from Nehru Nagar sump to HLR sump in Guntur city. The GMC engineers estimated the cost to lay pipelines by replacing PSC pumping main line of 800mm diameter with pipes of 900 mm diameter, at Rs 12.20 crore.
The main pumping pipelines were laid during 1984 under Comprehensive Water Supply Improvement scheme, but these lines got damaged and there were regular interruptions in supply of drinking water due to leakages. Hence, the GMC submitted a report to MA&UD department for approval of the funds.
The Commissioner C Anuradha has stated that the project report for the APMDP suggested that the existing water supply system based on old pipelines of 800mm diameter is to be replaced at many locations as pipes have been leaking at various places; however, replacement of the existing PSC pumping main lines with 800 mm diameter has not been proposed under the APMDP scheme that has been completed recently.
Since the existing main pumping line is badly damaged and several leakages are occurring frequently and lot of treated water is getting wasted thereby affecting the carrying capacity of the pipeline and delaying the filling up of the reservoirs. Since the existing mainline passes through main roads, frequent leakages hold up traffic on those, as to stop the leakages trenches have to be dug up on the roads.
In this connection, the commissioner has proposed to provide a parallel pumping main line of pipes with 900mm diameter at a cost of Rs 12.20 crore and the expenditure will be met from the general funds of the GMC. After careful examination of the proposal, the state government has accorded permission to the GMC to meet the expenditure of Rs12.20 crore, for replacement of the existing pipelines with 800mm diameter from the GMC general funds. The GMC has constructed 22 reservoirs, using World Bank funds and enhanced equipment at Takkellapadu filtration point, balancing reservoir, new filtration point to supply drinking water through Guntur channel to meet public demand.