Stage is all set for the filling of the Asia’s biggest surge pool (open to sky) with the waters of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and lift the same water to the Ananthagiri Reservoir in a few days and from there later to the Mallannasagar in Siddipet district.
Constructed on the hillocks on the outskirts of Thippapur village in Illanthakunta mandal, the surge pool measures 92 meters deep and 56 meters diameter and would store one tmc feet of water, which would be lifted by using four motors to the Ananthagiri Reservoir. The water would reach the surge pool from Mid Manair Dam — Sri Raja Rajeshwara reservoir — by travelling 3.4 km through gravity canal and 7.6 km through tunnel.
Incidentally, the open-to-sky Surge pool was constructed in a record time of 13 months at a cost of ₹ 2,700 crore. The four motors in this pool would use 106 MWs of power and accordingly a 440 KVA sub-station was constructed at the vicinity of the pool. The pumps would lift daily one tmc feet of water into Ananthagiri Reservoir and from there to the Mallannasagar.
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With the MMD received about 23.5 tmc ft of water on Monday against its storage capacity of 25.875 tmc ft, the authorities were gearing up the machinery to lift the water from the surge pool to Siddipet district. Already, the authorities have successfully conducted dry run of the motors. The MMD is receiving 6,300 cusecs of water from Gayathri pump house and additional 5,235 cusecs of water being released downstream through sluice canals into the Lower Manair Dam.