Vizag civic body gears up to overcome water problem

Visakhapatnam: As the mercury level raise in the district, the citizens are mostly worried about drinking water levels in the reservoirs. In safeguarding the water levels at reservoirs, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has chalked out action plan little ahead of summer to sustain water reserves and to meet the both domestic and industrial needs as per the required demand. 

GVMC is facing a herculean task every year in the summer to ensure water supply to domestic needs without making major cut as the water needs ever growing with expansion of city and establishment of new industries. The GVMC needs 62 MGD every day to meet water requirements from 72 wards. To ensure water supply to houses, the municipal corporation has already slashed water supply to industries by 25 per cent.

Speaking to The Hans India, GVMC water supply department superintendent engineer K Pallam Raju said that the demand for water was very high and could not be met easily. The availability of water at present is enough to meet this summer. However, he advised the denizens to use water judiciously. 

As per the numerical records, the water level of various reservoirs in the district are: Yeleru Reservoir carries maximum water level of 86.56 meters and the current level is 83.16 meters. Similarly, Godavari River has 13.5 meters against 18 meters, Railwada Reservoir 102.23 meters (114 meters), Meghadri Gedda Reservoir 49 feet (61 feet), Thatipudi Reservoir 262.4 feet (297 feet) and Ghambeeram Gedda Reservoir 109.8 feet (126 feet). However, the sub surface water sources sustainable in Mudasarlova Reservoir and Gosthani River till this February-end, he added.

Pallam Raju also said that there will be no problem to draw water by gravity from Yeleru reservoir as the current water availability is sufficient and it would further get compensated with the arrival of monsoon. As the water from Godavari river was enough till December-end and VIWSCO can draw water by excavating lead channel from January 2020, he said Raiwada and Meghadri Gedda reservoirs could supply water till May this year. 
However, getting water from Yeleru source could improve the water availability situation of Meghadri Gedda Reservoir.