Hyderabad: Saying that it would create a drinking water crisis in Hyderabad, the irrigation department has cautioned the TS government against launching Mission Bhagiratha operations at this stage
This has forced Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to defer the launch of the first phase of the Water Grid project by two more months. Now, the launch is expected only after August.
The drought of the last two years has left the water levels at the Yellampally Barrage at their lowest. Godavari water supplied to the city from this barrage will have to be diverted at three locations along the Hyderabad Water Board pipeline network to supply water to nine constituencies as part of the Water Grid project.
Though the original deadline was April 30, it was postponed as pipe laying works and installation of taps in households got delayed. The officials managed to complete these works by May-end and trial runs were held successfully this month. Arrangements were made for CM to launch the project by June-end.
Incidentally, two of these nine constituencies include the CM’s constituency Gajwel and irrigation minister T. Harish Rao’s constituency Siddipet in Medak district.
HMWSSB draws Yellampally water to city through its pipeline network.
The water has to be diverted at Kondapaka tapping point to be supplied ot Jangaon, Station Ghanpur and Palakurthi Assembly constituencies in Warangal, at Pragnyapur point for Gajwel, Siddipet and Dubbak and at Ghanpur point for Bhongir and Alair. Irrigation officials asked government to wait till August when inflows are expected in all irrigation projects.
“Though one month has passed in this monsoon season, no major inflows were witnessed in any of the irrigation projects. Hyderabad continues to rely solely on Godavari and Krishna waters for its drinking water needs as all its reservoirs have dried up long ago. Godavari and Krishna could able to meet only half of the city’s water needs. At this stage, if water is diverted to the Water Grid, the city water supply would be adversely affected. This was conveyed to the government,” said an irrigation official.
