In order to meet its ever-increasing drinking water requirement in Tirumala, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is toying with the idea of constructing a reservoir at Avvacharikona.
Though there are four small and medium drinking water reservoirs atop the temple town, the manifold increase in the number of pilgrims has dwarfed all attempts at finding an enduring solution to the water crisis.
The average pilgrim footfall, which was only a couple of lakhs in the early 70s, has gone up to over two million in the recent years.
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This apart, all the drinking water sources atop the sacred hills are fed by monsoon rains, forcing the temple administration to find a lasting solution to the perennial problem.
It is against this backdrop that the TTD is exploring the possibility of constructing a reservoir at Avvacharikona, a valley located at the foot of Mokalla Parvatam.
As a first step in that direction, the management, which has already carried out a reconnaissance survey, is gearing up to conduct field survey.
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The location of Avvacharikona is considered advantageous for taking up the project. It will have a storage capacity of 40 tmcft of water.
Though the catchment area is spread over 3.5 square kilometres, which is equivalent to that under Kumaradhara dam, it is nonetheless regarded as a pivotal point given the copious accumulation of water that flows from Akkagarlagudi hills, Vaikuntha Theertham, Kakulakonda, and those downstream the Gogarbham dam.
Though the construction has to be taken up on the hilly terrains, which is a typical quartzite rock formation, the officials sound optimistic.
The fact that the proposed site falls under the limits of the TTD forest area has boosted the spirits of the management, which feels confident of securing the required permits and clearances from the government.
TTD Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao says that the survey is under progress and that the management is awaiting the final report.