GVMC renews efforts to get maintenance of two reservoirs

Corporation comes under scathing attack for not improving its storage capacity

The flood gates of Meghadrigedda reservoir in Visakhapatnam were lifted in the early hours of Sunday due to heavy inflows following incessant rains in the catchment area since Friday. Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar

With no success in getting Meghadrigedda, a major reservoir that supplies water to the city, handed over to it, the GVMC has begun efforts afresh.

The corporation had come under a scathing attack from various quarters, including political parties, for not improving its storage capacity when it went through a scarce water situation in the summer of 2010 with levels in reservoirs falling to dead storage.

Pumping from Kateru

Water can be pumped from Kateru near Rajahmundry where the GVMC has a pump house when the river has surplus water, it was suggested.

But since 2010, the GVMC has hardly added any storage space, admit officials. Megadrigedda that supplies about 8 mgd water is used as a balancing reservoir to cater to industrial and domestic supply. In November 2012, Union Minister D. Purandeswari wrote to the Engineer-in-Chief, Medium Irrigation, asking him to hand over Meghadrigedda and Gambhiram reservoirs to GVMC for maintenance and utilisation of water.

The then SE, Irrigation, Visakhapatnam, expressed readiness to handover the two reservoirs on the condition that GVMC should get them inspected periodically from time to time by dam safety panels. However, the handing over has not taken place.

Fresh proposal

The GVMC has now sent a fresh proposal to Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, S. K. Joshi, requesting him that Meghadrigedda and Gambhiram reservoirs be handed over to GVMC. It has to be sent to the Irrigation Department.

But the de-silting of Meghadrigedda itself is a major task and it has to be dry for the purpose, it was learnt. That will in turn affect supply to the city.

The de-silting is expected to increase its capacity from 1 tmc ft to 1.5 tmc ft.

That’s why instead of de-silting, GVMC is proposing laying a pipeline to prevent loss during pumping in open canals from Yeleru and Raiwada, says an official.

GVMC had toyed with the idea of de-silting Meghadrigedda, Mudasarlova and Gambhiram reservoirs from time to time. The de-silting of the three reservoirs is expected to add an additional 1 tmc ft.