HYDERABAD: While projects on Krishna river are brimming with water, those on the Godavari, including Singur, Nizam Sagar, SRSP, Mid-Manair and lower-Manair, are almost empty. In fact, these project cites are now being used as playgrounds by local children and youth. As against the full reservoir level of 29.91 tmcft, the Singur has only 0.46 tmcft.
The Sri Ram Sagar Project has only 16.49 tmcft as against its full storage capacity of 90.31 tmcft. The Mid-Manair and Lower-Manair dams too have over 3 tmcft water against their storage capacities of over 24 tmcft each. The SRSP has not filled up because of the Babli project. However, there is a ray of hope. Once the Package 8 of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) is launched officially in Laxmipur village in Karimnagar on Wednesday, the SRSP, Mid-Manair and Lower-Manair projects are sure to receive water.
Thanks to the redesigned Kaleshwaram project, the farmers are sure to benefit as, after the inauguration of Package 8, the water will be diverted to Mid-Manair and SRSP through flood flow canal. So soon these reservoirs too will be filled up.
Pulichintala at full capacity
Meanwhile, six years after its construction, the Pulichintala project is filled to the brim for the first time. All the 14 gates of Pulichintala are lifted and water has been released to Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada. Due to heavy inflows into all the projects on Krishna in Karnataka and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the officials lifted 70 gates of Prakasam Barrage. The construction of Pulichintala was completed in 2013, with a storage capacity of 45 tmcft. With this, gates of all the projects, right from Almatti to Prakasam barrage are open now, after many years.
Poor inflow into four reservoirs a worry
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board is concerned about the poor inflows into Singur, Manjira, Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs due to scanty rainfall in the catchment areas.
HMWSSB Managing Director M Dana Kishore said that in the coming days they are expecting rains and inflows into in these four reservoirs and “city would be in a comfortable position in terms of drinking water supply as there would be assured water supplies to the city and its outskirts up to next monsoon”.
As there is no water available in Singur and Manjira reservoirs, the Board has been drawing water from Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs as a stop gap arrangement. ‘’We are hopeful of receiving good rains in the catchment areas of these four reservoirs in the coming days. That would help HMWSSB to draw water from these reservoirs,’’ Dana Kishore said.