KARIMNAGAR: The district’s ambitious Sripadasagar Irrigation Project (SSIP) at Yellampalli of Ramgundam mandal is all set to quench the thirst of Hyderabadis. With the commissioning of the 150-MLD master balancing reservoir at Ghanpur near Shamirpet, 172 MGD (10 tmcft) of water will be drawn from here to meet the drinking water needs of Hyderabad under the Godavari Drinking Water Project (GDWP) Phase-I.
Built with a storage capacity of 20.10 tmcft, the barrage is expected to irrigate six lakh acres of agriculture land in Karimnagar, Warangal, Adilabad, Nizamabad and Medak districts by lifting 63 tmcft of water.
The major irrigation project’s 8.5 tmcft of water has already been allocated to NTPC-Ramagundam for generating power.
The SSIP was conceived in July 28, 2004 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,244.77 crore. A total of 15,981 acre of land was acquired for constructing the project that spreads over Karimnagar and Adilabad district.
In November 2008, in order to provide sufficient drinking water to people residing in the outskirts of Hyderabad following alarmingly depleting water levels in the Singur, Manjira, Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs, the state government had taken up the GDWP, also called Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Hyderabad Sujala Sravanthi Scheme, by lifting 172 MGD (million gallons per day) or 10 tmcft of water from SSIP’Ts barrage in three phases.
According to information available on the website of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, laying of pipeline and erection of pump houses, intake well, water treatment plants at several places in Karimnagar and Medak districts have almost been completed. Recently, a trail run was also conducted successfully.
In the first phase, 86 MGD of water will be drawn from the SSIP for providing drinking water to the outermost circles of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation by the end of December. The remaining 86 MGD would be supplied to Hyderabad by June, 2016.
The GDWP’s intake channel well-cum-pump house was built at Murmur of Ramagundam and an intermediate reservoir and pump house at Bommakal village near Karimnagar.
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