The long awaited forest clearance for phase I of the Godavari Drinking Water Supply Project has finally come. With this, the major hurdle for construction of the Master Balancing Reservoir (MBR) at Ghanpur near Shamirpet and laying of 12-km-long pipeline through forest land in Karimnagar, Medak and Ranga Reddy districts is cleared.
The eagerly expected clearance was received on Friday with the Bangalore-based Ministry of Environment and Forest regional office giving the green signal. The Water Board urgently requires 50 acres of land for early completion of the project. While 25 acres are needed for construction of 150 mgd capacity MBR at Ghanpur, another 25 acres is necessary for laying pipeline through Karimnagar, Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. The Chief Conservator of Forests, Bangalore, had made a field visit to these areas some time back and promised early clearance. The clearance now received pertain to Package III works.
Compensatory land
Now the Board needs to provide compensatory afforestation land for the 50 acres acquired from the Forest Department. It has identified its own land at Murmur in Karimnagar district for this purpose. The Board is also required to deposit money for tree plantation in the land as part of afforestation. This is being worked out and once this formality is completed the forest land will be handed over to the Board. “The whole thing may take a month’s time,” Board’s MD, J. Syamala Rao, told The Hindu .
Other components of the Rs. 3,375 crore project are progressing briskly. The projects aims at bringing an additional 172 mgd (10 tmcft) water to the GHMC area from Yellampally Barrage in Karimnagar to Ghanpur covering a distance of 186 km. So far the Board has completed 126 km of pipe-laying work. In package I, 43 km pipeline is laid, package II 48 km and package III 35 km.
Other civil works such as intake channels, sump-cum-pump houses, water treatment plants, electro-mechanical equipment, sub-station and HT transmission works are in full swing. Most of the project components, officials hope, will be completed by March 2014.
The Ring Main I and Ring Main II works are also expected to be completed by March 2014. They are essential for distribution of water from the Master Balancing Reservoir at Ghanpur to the existing reservoirs at Lingampally and Sainikpuri.
