It is no longer a pipedream. The much-talked about Godavari water is expected to trickle down the taps in city homes by December 2013. Outlying municipalities such as Qutbullapur, Malkajgiri, Alwal, Kapra, Kukatapally and Cantonment Board, which are now getting water once in two to three days, will be the first to benefit.
Phase-I
The State government has set May 2013 as the target for completion of the phase-I of the Godavari Drinking Water Supply project, which aims to draw 172 mgd (10 tmc) of water from Yellampally Barrage. But because of the delay in financial tie up, the HMWSSB is hopeful of completing it by December next year.
Nearly 40 per cent of the project work is completed with pipelines laid for a distance of 76 km out of the total 186 km pumping main from Yellampally to the Master Balancing Reservoir at Ghanpur near Shameerpet. Till now a sum of Rs.1,400 crore is spent and payment to the tune of Rs.1,200 crore made.
Presspersons who visited the project site at Kukunoorpally and Mallaram on Thursday saw the work progressing at a brisk pace. Everyday 100 meter length of pipes are being laid and joined together with manual and submerged arc welding.
The 3,000 mm pipes are given a coat of food graded epoxy paint (375 microns) inside and bitumen tar epoxy outside (400 microns). “Thereafter, hydro-testing is carried out to ensure that there is no cracks”, said G. Rameshwar Rao, CGM (Engineering).
Work is in different stages of progress in all the three packages. Excavation for intake channel is in advanced stage at Murmur while raw water inlet chambers, clariflocculators, chlorination building works are underway. Raw water pressure main works is on from Bommakal to Mallaram and Mallaram to Kondapaka and an 80 ml reservoir along with pumping station work is under construction.
Land acquisition
Water will be brought to the Ghanpur reservoir by way of pumping through intermediate pumping stations at Bommakal, Mallaram, Kondapaka. From Ghanpur water will flow by gravity through two Ring Mains.
Of the 1,800 acres Revenue land required, 1,600 acres are already acquired and the rest are going to be shortly acquired. Forest land of 300 acres is needed for laying pipelines and construction of MBR at Ghanpur. “Collectors of Medak, Karimnagar and Ranga Reddy are asked to identify and handover suitable land to the Forest Department”, said M. Satyanaryana, Project Director, HMWSSB.
He said finance was no long a problem. HUDCO had offered loan of Rs.1,000 crore for which agreement was also reached. Token sanction for an additional Rs.1,000 crore was also ready from HUDCO. State government had already given Rs.1,400 crore and another Rs.400 crore would come in the next financial year, he said.
