The Purushottapatnam lift scheme on the Godavari river may be operated in the nick of time to provide water to the city if the water level in the Godavari River rises further, sources have said.
This summer, parts of the water needs of the city are being met by pumping water from Yeleru reservoir as the flow by gravity is not possible once it reaches the dead storage level.
The ₹1600-crore lift scheme on the left main canal of the Polavaram Project is undertaken to lift water from the river at Purushottapatnam into the LMC.
The second stage lift, which is 50 km away from the Yeleru reservoir, has been set up to pump water into the reservoir by a 12-km pipeline and eight motors.
“After carrying out some repairs, the lift scheme is likely to be operated to pump water into Yeleru reservoir in the third or fourth week of May, sources quoted officials of Irrigation Department as saying.
However, the water level in the Godavari remains the key, the sources point out. Pumping of water is possible only if the water level reaches 14.1 metre when compared to the 13.6 metre at present.
Water level crucial
“If water is available, anywhere between 800 cusecs to 1,000 cusecs can be pumped. The water loss en route will be around 20 %,” say sources.
Even as the quantum of water available for pumping may vary, indications to the GVMC are that Irrigation Department is ready to operate the lift if the water level in the Godavari reaches the critical level.
Further, even after the lifting begins, it will take at least 10 days to build the water level in the Yeleru reservoir after which pumping from the dead storage level can be dispensed with, say sources. Keeping the worst scenario in view, arrangements have been made to pump water from the dead storage level up to July-end.
However, if the level in Yeleru reservoir reaches 71.5 metres owing to rain in the catchment area, pumping will be stopped, sources add. The pumping, by Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company, began April 14 with an estimated cost of ₹9.5 crore for the season.
