With a lift scheme on the Polavaram Left Main Canal at Purushottapatnam proposed for completion by December, repairs will be taken up for the Yeleru Left Main Canal.
Once the lift is completed the canal’s carrying capacity has to be restored so as to make the best use of lifting of water.
A maximum of 1,400 cusecs of water can be pumped into the reservoir. The repairs will also help improve the quantum that reaches the end-point helping improve supply in the summer ahead.
The Yeleur canal, mainstay of water supply to the city and industry, will be closed for a month from February 15 to take up repairs. The canal was last closed in 2011 for maintenance work.
Though closure for annual maintenance is required it can not be done owing to heavy dependence on the canal. It being open canal, pilferage and natural causes like evaporation lead to poor realisation. Not even half of the 150 mgd released of late is realised at Kanithi balancing reservoir.
The canal has a carrying capacity of 400 cusecs.
Spending about Rs.5 crore on repairs, the Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company will carry out repairs to structures on the 153-km canal and desilt it so as to facilitate better flow of water, it is learnt.
This is expected to improve the realisation by 10 to 15 per cent.
Various agencies drawing water for their industrial use like the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, NTPC, APIIC and Rural Water Supply Department were asked about three months back to store water to meet their needs during the period of closure.
The GVMC will draw water from the Meghadrigedda reservoir.
No storage facility
Since there is no storage capacity for the agencies or the GVMC the closure is being cut short to 30 days. With another closure next year, the canal is expected to be ready to receive water from the lift scheme into the Yeleru canal.
However, to ensure supply to the city in summer pumping of water from the Yeleru reservoir will be resorted to after the opening of the canal, sources said. The reservoir also caters to the agricultural needs in East Godavari district.
However, the situation may not be as bad as the last year when pumping was resorted to right from January 26. With supplies from the other sources like Raiwada and Tatipudi being satisfactory, the GVMC hopes to tide over the summer supply situation.
