The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pranahita may run into rough weather

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Monday, Dec 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pranahita may run into rough weather

S. Harpal Singh

-PHOTO:G. SANJEEV REDDY

On duty: Construction of barrage on the Pranahita river near Tummidihetti village in Adilabad district will permanently mar the scenic beauty of the place. Adilabad SP Anil Kumar travelling in a boat to oversee security arrangements ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit.

ADILABAD: The possibility of the ambitious Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanti (lift irrigation scheme) running into problems in future seems to be a foregone conclusion given the haze surrounding certain of its aspects. For example, the source of power to run the project is going to be a big question that will face planners sooner than later.

Experts wonder as to where would the massive quantity of power needed to run the project is going to be drawn from. The stated requirement for running the project is 3,375 MW. This is equivalent to about one thirds of the total power generating capacity in Andhra Pradesh including the capacity from some proposed power generating units.

Financially unviable

Even establishment of a power generation unit exclusively for running this Rs. 38,500 crore project may not be the solution. The higher cost of power generation at present can render the scheme financially unviable.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy is slated to lay the foundation stone for the Pranahita-Chevella project on December 16 at the picturesque site near Tummidihetti village in Koutala mandal. A barrage is envisaged at the site on the Pranahita river that flows as a result of the confluence of Penganga, Wardha and wainganga rivers on the AP-Maharashtra border.

There are 16 lifts along the entire length of the project. As water is to be lifted to about 500 mts from the source, a massive quantum of power is required to run these lifts. The project is meant to function only for the 120 days when the river gets flood waters. The live utilisation is pegged at 160 tmc.

Though engineers say the destruction will be under permissible limits, the question of environmental degradation is bound to crop up as a total of 512 kms of canals are to be furrowed and a total of 188 kms of tunnels have to be bored as per the specifications of the project.

Only time will tell if the neighbouring State will create objections regarding the harm to the wild life sanctuary that exists on the Maharashtra side of the border. As about half the reservoir on the left of the Pranahita barrage will come up on the territory of that State, land acquisition may not be an easy task after all.

Water will be lifted through a series of projects to irrigate about 16.5 lakh acres in 88 mandals and 1,565 villages of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy. Over 1.5 lakh acres of this ayacut will be in Adilabad district.

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