Hyderabad: HMWSSB likely to start emergency pumping as Nagarjuna Sagar water level drops
As of Tuesday, the water level has dropped to 514.300 feet, and if it falls to 510 feet, it would no longer be possible to transfer water
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy
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Hyderabad: With the water level in the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir nearing dead storage, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water and Sewage Board (HMWSSB) has accelerated preparations for emergency pumping to ensure an uninterrupted drinking water supply to the city.
According to HMWSSB officials, the full reservoir level is 590 feet. As of Tuesday, the water level has dropped to 514.300 feet, and if it falls to 510 feet, it would no longer be possible to transfer water through gravity to the Akkampally reservoir.
Currently, water is being sourced from the Elimineti Madhav Reddy project via the Puttamgandi pump house and the Akkampally balancing reservoir. However, if the water level drops further, pumping Krishna River water would become essential.
Anticipating this scenario, the Water Board completed the tendering process for emergency pumping arrangements a month in advance. Work orders have been issued in three packages with an estimated cost of Rs 5.95 crore, and large motors and pumping systems are being installed swiftly, the officials said.
For the city's drinking water requirements, 0.179 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water is currently being transferred daily from Nagarjuna Sagar through gravity flow. While the total storage capacity of the Sagar project is 312.045 TMC, 139.080 TMC is currently available, and the usable water is around 131.66 TMC.
Even when the reservoir reaches dead storage level, about 2.05 TMC of water can still be utilized. The Akkampally Balancing Reservoir has a total storage capacity of 1.499 TMC, of which 1.254 TMC is presently available. From this, 0.045 TMC of water is supplied daily.
Elaborating further, the HMWSSB officials said that preparations have been completed to draw water from Nagarjuna Sagar through emergency pumping for the third time to meet the drinking water needs of the metropolitan city. The first instance occurred in 2017 when the water level in the Sagar reservoir reached dead storage. At that time, emergency motors were installed, and water was pumped until September of that year.
After eight years, the water level again reached dead storage last year, prompting the setup of emergency pumping arrangements. Water was pumped until the end of August. Now, with the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir once again nearing dead storage, preparations for pumping have been completed. Water Board officials have stated that even if the reservoir hits dead storage, there will be no disruptions to the drinking water supply during the summer.
