Hyderabad: Even before its official launch, the Rs 43,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha, intended to provide treated drinking tap water to every household in the state, has itself run into a water crisis.
Water for Mission Bhagiratha will be sourced from 15 reservoirs in the Krishna basin and 21 in the Godavari basin. The project requires 30.58 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) from the Godavari basin and 23.38 TMC from the Krishna basin. Officials estimate that it requires 13.5 TMC from May to August to supply water in bulk to villages.
Ellur reservoir contributes the bulk of the water to the mission. About 7.12 TMC per year will be sourced from this reservoir itself. However, at present, it has a total volume of just 0.3 TMC. Water from Srisailam should be supplied to this reservoir to maintain minimum water level, but the water level at Srisailam has already dipped to 800 ft, making it impossible for it to supply water just now.
Other major water sources for the mission are SRSP, Lower Manai and Singur which contribute 6.5 TMC, 6.16 TMC, and.7 TMC per year respectively.
