Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government is seeking funding from international agencies to execute the water grid project. The estimated cost of the project is over Rs 30,000 crore.
The government is seeking the help of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency among others to fund the project.
AP needs 1,55,000 million cubic feet of water to cater to the drinking water needs of people in 13 districts and also meet the requirements of commercial and industrial consumers.
The state government plans to set up multiple water grids, since AP has a plethora of rivers. Sources said AP plans to set up six water grids.
An expert committee appointed by the government is studying the availability of flood water and how to divert it. The focus is on identifying sources and tapping points to supply water to the drought prone Rayalaseema region through the state-wide water grid.
Of the total 155 tmc water, 20 tmc is for industries and 136 for domestic sector drinking purposes. “Over 5,000 tmc of water from Godavari, Krishna and other sources is going into the sea.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed the officials to work out plans to tap it, divert it to the existing reservoirs and construct new storage reservoirs as part of the water grid project,” a senior official said.
A state water corporation will also be set up to monitor, supply and maintain the water grid. It will be located in capital city region, the senior official added.
