Visakhapatnam: Former minister Konathala Ramakrishna has sought Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s immediate intervention to take up short- and long-term measures in solving the water crisis that Vizag.
He said in a letter to the Chief Minister that the drinking water crisis had been deepening by the day in the Greater Visakha Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits, the present situation being one that had never been seen in history where water was being provided to households on alternate days.
“You would agree that this is reflected in the fact that the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant will have to close down if the water supply to the plant and the townships continues to deteriorate,” he wrote.
He pointed that the present demand for 170 mgd would increase to 400 mgd, an assessment made by Justice Bachawat while delivering the Godavari Waters Award.
“But the city is getting only 120 mgd, through Yeleru, Tatipudi, Raiwada, Meghadrigadda, Boni and other sources. Yeleru is the main drinking water source for VSP and NTPC. Yeleru, with its dead storage levels, has totally dried up. It has therefore become imperative for you and your government to immediately initiate measures that would address the drinking water needs of Visakhapatnam city and simultaneously help irrigate farmlands in the region,” he added.
Yeleru, which is also the main source of drinking water for the city, gets fed by the Kateru lift from Godavari. While it is drawing 150 cusecs, by the time the water reaches Vizag the quantum falls to 70 cusecs or 38 mgd beca-use of evaporation, seepage and ill-maintained canals. He also suggested eight transit reservoirs in Vizag along with the Polavaram left canal needed to be constructed to store 10 TMC feet of water for the city.
“Apart from addressing drinking water needs in the long term, this method would help irrigate 1.3 lakh acres under Yeleru and Polavaram canals. A task force may be constituted to expedite completion of the projects on a war footing. If this is not prioritised, the ‘City of Destiny’ will soon transform itself into a ‘City of Calamity,” he added.
