Trial run of Purushottapatnam Lift Scheme stage II begins.

Having completed trial run of the second stage of the Purushottapatnam Lift Scheme on the Godavari, the stage is set for pumping water into the Yeleru reservoir, the main stay of industrial and domestic supply to the city.

It will improve the level of Yeleru reservoir enabling flow by gravity and preventing resorting to pumping from the dead storage.

A total of eight pumps are proposed to be set up about 13 km from the reservoir. Of them, three pumps, each with a capacity of lifting 175 cusecs, have been set up. One of the pumps was run on trial basis through a pipeline to the reservoir on Monday, it was learnt.

The Purushottapatnam Lift Scheme on the Left Main Canal of the Polavaram project is being executed at a cost of ₹1600 crore.

The first stage was inaugurated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on August 15.

The 13 km stretch is covered by two pipelines to carry the water lifted by the eight pumps once the second stage of the scheme is fullly operational.

“There will be teething problems in the pipeline in the initial stages and they have to be set right before more pumping is done. Full-fledged pumping with the three pumps is likely to be taken up in three days,” said sources. Officials estimate that with the pumping for nearly five weeks the reservoir will receive an additional 1.5 TMC of water.

With the present level at 80.8 meters and 14.3 TMC of water the total quantity will go up to about 15.8 TMC by the end of December when pumping will be stopped.

“While 6 TMC is to be utilised for the second crop under the Yeleru river, the reservoir will still have 10 TMC, enough for flow by gravity. It is expected to last till June,” say sources.

The flow by gravity will do away with pumping from the dead storage of the reservoir resorted to by Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company (VIWSCO) saving crores of rupees.

THE HINDU