The district administration is actively examining a proposal to supply mine water from the coal mines in the Ramagundam coal belt after proper treatment to augment drinking water supply in the industrial town of Ramagundam and its surrounding areas during the peak summer months.
ADVERTISEMENT
Around 132 million litres a day (MLD) of water is being pumped out daily from the RG-I, RG-II and RG-III of the State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in the Ramagundam region. Of this, the SCCL utilises around 32 MLD of treated water for green belt development and watering the mine area for dust suppression. The remaining — around 100 MLD of water — is let out for irrigation purpose, official sources said.
Peddapalli Collector Muzammil Khan on Monday held a review meeting with officials to discuss the proposal to harness the potential of mine water for augmenting drinking water supply in the coal belt.
The Collector asked the officials to prepare detailed proposals for exploring the possibility of supplying water from the SCCL’s mines after proper treatment using the reverse osmosis (RO) process and the existing drinking water pipeline system to Ramagundam and its adjoining areas.
He also wanted the officials to examine the possibility of diverting water from the water bodies — Yerracheruvu, Nallacheruvu, Jallaramvagu and Bokkalavagu — which receive water from the RG-I, RG-II and RG-III coal mines to supplement the supply of drinking water to nearby areas.