Visakhapatnam city is desperate for a lasting solution to its water problems.
With all its major sources of water located outside the city, and with no perennial river to bank on, the city finds itself in the throes of an acute water scarcity every summer.
In a worrying trend for the past decade or so, the water scarcity is now being felt not just in the summer but for most part of the year, say residents.
Areas like Yendada and Madhurawada, which were once sparsely populated, have now become bustling residential areas. Other suburbs like Pendurthi and Sujathanagar too are witnessing a construction boom.
The YSRCP Government’s announcement of making Visakhapatnam the State’s Executive capital has spurred development even in far-flung outskirts. However, the issue of water scarcity is expected to be a huge stumbling block.
Against a demand of 90 to 95 MGD of water, 75 MGD is being supplied to meet domestic needs. In the last summer, the supply further dipped to 65 MGD. With groundwater levels also plummeting in some areas, residents were forced to opt for water tankers.
Polavaram hopes fade
Commencement of work on the Polavaram project by the erstwhile Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Government came as a ray of hope for the city, which was supposed to get 23 TMC of water for its industrial and domestic needs. Storage reservoirs on the city outskirts were also on the cards. However, the plans never materialised.
The city witnessed one of its worst water crises in 2010, after which it was proposed to lay a pipeline from the Yeleru reservoir to the city, a distance of 150 km. However, this too did not work out.
Meanwhile, after the bifurcation of the State, work began in full swing on the Polavaram project and a pumping scheme on its Left Main Canal at Purushotapatnam was completed by the Chandrababu Naidu Government.
Despite both the monsoons failing last year, the GVMC has been able to supply water to major parts of the city owing to pumping of water from the Godavari to the Yeleru reservoir. However, some parts still suffered as the transmissions mains are not in place to pump surplus water to needy areas. As a result, wards 1 to 6 comprising Arilova, Yendada and Madhurawada suffered acute shortage of water last year.
Way out
The only solution to meet the growing needs is to construct storage reservoirs for water to be available from Polavaram Left Main Canal or to go in for a pipeline. Initially, storage reservoirs for 5 TMC had been proposed and locations identified but the plans never took off. "It is difficult to build storage reservoirs as it is interlinked with agriculture and requires land acquisition," said a senior engineer.
With the drinking water demand for Visakhapatnam projected at 135.75 MGD and that of municipalities and villages en route at 191 MGD by 2050, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy mooted a pipeline from the Polavaram project to bring water.
The 210-km pipeline is estimated to cost ₹3,100 crore. The pipeline is intended to meet the needs of municipalities and villages en route too. Laying the pipeline abutting the Polavaram canal is preferred as it does not involve land acquisition.
