KADAPA: As the tender process for the reconstruction of Annamayya irrigation project on the River Cheyyeru in Rajampet has reached its final leg, the hope of several people has been rekindled. Once the bids are finalised, works will commence and the deadline for completing them is 24 months.
While tenders will be invited in a day or two, a contractor will be finalised through a reverse tendering process. The government has already issued an administrative sanction of `787.77 crores for the project and has fixed the estimated cost at `635.20 crores. Moreover, the project will be exempted from GST and other taxes.
Flash floods caused due to heavy rains resulted in large volumes of water gushing out of the dam at Badanagadda in Rajampet mandal and breaching the earthen bund on November 19, 2021. The deluge claimed more than 15 lives and survivors were left with no food in at least two dozen villages.
The project, with a storage capacity of 2.239 TMC and a discharge rate of 1.18 lakh cusecs, had received inflows at the rate of 3.2 lakh cusecs in just a few hours. The floodwater flowing over one metre above the bund caused the breach as the dam could not sustain the pressure.
According to irrigation officials, the reconstructed dam will have a discharge capacity of 5.6 lakh cusecs as against the earlier 1.8 lakh cusecs. As many as 11 gates will be constructed instead of the previous five and the storage capacity of the reservoir will increase to 2.38 TMC. It will support 13,000 acres during Kharif and 6,500 acres during the Rabi seasons. Further, drinking water will be provided to 18 villages.