SIDDIPET: The filter bed at Mallannasagar project commenced operation on Monday. It will be supplying 540 million litres of drinking water every day to over 50 lakh people in seven districts and 10 Assembly constituencies across the State. Although the government had aimed to start operating the Rs 1,212 crore filter bed by the end of June, the engineers completed the work much ahead of the deadline.
Finance Minister T Harish Rao and Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao inaugurated it, following which a trial run was conducted. The State government has allocated 7 tmcft of water to flow through the filter bed from the Mallannasagar project, which has a capacity of 50 tmcft. From Monday, 300 million litres of drinking water, which used to be supplied under Mission Bhagiratha from Mallaram filter bed will be cut off for the seven districts and 10 Assembly segments and will be diverted towards emerging colonies around the inner portion of Hyderabad’s Outer Ring Road.
A majority of Hyderabad’s water needs are already being met by Krishna and Manjeera rivers. The water from this filter bed will be supplied to Siddipet, Janagam, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Medchal Malkajigiri, Medak, Suryapet and Mahabubabad districts of the State. It will also be supplied to Siddipet, Gajwel, Dubbaka, Jangaon, Bhuvanagiri, Alleru, Medchal, Station Ghanpur, Palakurti and Tungaturthi Assembly constituencies.
Speaking on the occasion, Harish Rao said that the filter bed is gravity-based and does not require electricity.
He said that earlier, the water supply to Siddipet town had to be stopped for two to three days at a stretch because of unexpected disruptions in the transmission line, which in turn used to affect the Mallaram filter bed which was dependent on electricity.
Harish Rao said that people will no longer wrestle for water around taps in Siddipet and Gajwel towns. “Farmers will now be using this water to supply rice to the nation, all thanks to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who played a major role in this project” Harish Rao said.