Restoring a defunct pipeline to Meghadrigedda reservoir (MGR) has proved quite crucial in maintaining water supply by the GVMC during the summer.
With the Municipal Commissioner M. Hari Narayanan insisting on restoring the Old Raiwada pipeline, it was restored after almost 19 years of being defunct, in October last year to feed 16 MGD water to the MGR.
Water crisis
This came quite handy to maintain supply to the Zone I area comprising Madhurawada, PM Palem and Arilova areas which faced acute water scarcity after the drying up of Gosthani, Gambhiram Gedda and Mudasarlova reservoir.
Once the Polavaram Left Main Canal is ready, MGR’s utility as a storage reservoir gains significance as plans for other storage reservoirs are still under way. Besides, it can be used for bringing water from Yeleru reservoir that is filled during the flooding season of the Godavari.
As a part of the Polavaram LMC work, an open canal of about 11 km is to be dug to bring water to MGR. Work began on the canal. However, it faced problems as it runs through inhabited areas and sewage finding its way.
The problem was represented by the then MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao to the Chief Minister and the Irrigation Minister during the TDP tenure. Mr. Hari Narayanan also wrote to the government that a pipeline be laid instead of the open canal. The government responded positively to the proposal that the open canal be replaced with a pipeline.
The pipeline will be laid between the existing 33 MGD and 16 MGD pipelines.
The pipeline is proposed with a capacity of 60 MGD, it is learnt. The Irrigation Department has prepared proposals for taking up the pipeline, estimated to cost around ₹60 crore.
Approval awaited
However, the approval from the Engineer-in-Chief of Polavaram project for the proposal is awaited.
