Pipeline to Tumuru Gedda proposed to address water crisis of industries in Vizag

In an attempt to provide a permanent solution to the water scarcity in the industrial belt of Madhurawada, the Visakhapatnam Industrial Water Supply Company (VIWSCO) has proposed to lay a pipeline to supply water. As part of the proposed project, a pipeline will be laid from Kanithi Balancing Reservoir (KBR), near Vizag Steel Plant, to the Tumuru Gedda reservoir for supplying water to industries located in the area.

Speaking to Yo!, B Venugopala Rao, Senior General Manager at VIWSCO, shared that several industries and the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located at Madhurawada have been facing water woes for the past few years. Adding further, he said, “Though water sources like Gosthani river water and others are available for domestic purposes, we have been facing difficulty in supplying adequate amounts of water to industries, commercial complexes, and other institutions in this area of Vizag.”

Sharing details about the project, he said, “In order to resolve the issue, we arrived at a plan of establishing a well-connected distribution network by sharing the available water from other sources would be an ideal solution. Currently, Tumuru Gedda, near Madhurawada, has a capacity of 0.18 TMC feet. We identified that KBR is the convenient point for laying pipelines and drawing water regularly based on gravity. With this new project, we are chalking out plans to draw 50 MLD of water from the KBR every day. The water treated at the plant situated near Tumuru Gedda will be supplied to the industries as per the requirement.”

The proposed pipeline, which aims at meeting the needs of the industrial zone of Madhurawada, will be laid with the funds of the VIWSCO. Sharing their action plan, he said, “The initial estimate of the project is Rs 300 crore. We are inviting consultants through the tendering process. The consultant will prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR), considering the factors including the future scope of industries expansion in the area, revenue generation, and the hydraulic designs required for the project. If the pipeline needs to be laid via railway crossings and the National Highway, permissions should be taken from the concerned authorities.”