Visakhapatnam sitting pretty with all the reservoirs 90% full

Like in the past few years, there will not be any major summer water crisis at all this year also, says GVMC Superintending Engineer

Officials from the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) heave a sigh of relief as all the reservoirs and other water bodies, supplying drinking water to Visakhapatnam, have sufficient quantity of water, with summer about to set in.

As on March 2, almost all the reservoirs were placed comfortably with around 90% storage capacity. Out of total requirement per day of 80 million gallons of water (MGD), Yeleru reservoir supplies almost half of the required – 40 MGD water to the city. As on March 2, the Yeleru reservoir’s present water level stands at 80.44 metres against its maximum and minimum storage capacities of 86.56 metres and 72.54 metres respectively.

Similarly, Thatipudi reservoir supplies nearly 10 MGD of water to Visakhapatnam. Out of its maximum storage level of 297 feet, the present water is at 293 feet. The minimum storage capacity of the reservoir is 251 feet.

The present water level of Meghadrigedda reservoir is 56.4 feet compared to its maximum storage capacity of 61 feet. The minimum storage capacity of the reservoir is 44 feet. Maximum and minimum storage capacities of Raiwada reservoir is 114 metres and 99 metres respectively. The present water level is 110.64 metres. Gambheeram Gedda present storage level is about 120 feet compared to its maximum storage level of 126 feet.

Water level in Mudasarlova reservoir, which supplies around 1 % of water needs to certain localities, stands at 166.1 feet compared to its maximum and minimum storage levels of 169 feet and 152 feet respectively.

Superintending Engineer of GVMC (water supply) K.V.N. Ravi said that due to adequate rainfall over the past few years, water bodies in and around Visakhapatnam district have good water storage.

“Like in the past few years, there would not be any major summer water crisis at all this year also. However, some areas may need deployment of additional water tankers, installing new borewells or repairing old borewells should be taken up to meet the requirement. In some regions, repairs of water pipelines and tanks need to be carried out to prevent water leakages during the summer. The civic body will come up with an action plan to ensure there are no water woes for the public,” said Mr. Ravi.