Hyderabad, September 10, 2018 : Normally, lift schemes are planned to pump the water for irrigating ayacut in elevated areas. But this project is unique as it is not for irrigation, but for protecting a proposed capital city from possible submergence; and that is Kondaveetivagu Lift Scheme. It is constructed to lift the water from low-lying areas and divert it to the canals and river; it will protect the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati, from the probable submergence. In this way, it is unique in the entire country as this is the first such project taken up and completed within a time-bound manner. Everything is now ready for the formal inauguration of this project that is constructed by Megha Engineering Company, known for such prestigious projects. In the event of floods for Kondaveetivagu, nearly 0.5 TMCs of water (5250 cusecs) would be lifted with this project. 16 Motor Pumps and one 11 KV electricity sub station are established for this purpose.
It used to be a nightmare for the people residing in Mangalagiri and Tadikonda constituencies, which are part of Amaravati Capital City Region as thousands of acres of land used to be submerged in case of heavy inflow in Kondaveetivagu. Now, this Lift Scheme has provided a permanent solution for this problem. During the time of heavy inflow, such excess water would be lifted from it and diverted to Krishna River and Buckingham Canal. In this way, the capital city region would be protected from the vagaries of submergence. The government of Andhra Pradesh has given this prestigious project worth of Rs. 222.44 crores to the Megha Engineering Company.
“And it was not an easy task for the company to complete this project as there was a problem with natural springs everywhere around the project area. At one side it was Krishna River, another side Buckingham Canal and one more side it was Kondaveetivagu. Water is there throughout the year in the project location. Amidst these hardships, Megha Engineering has taken up this project. The problem with oozing water used to be intensified during the time of rains and when there is an increased level of water at Prakasham Barrage and water is released through Buckingham Canal. In such times, the company lifted the water with the help of 25 motors throughout the day and night for smooth implementation of project works. Indeed this was the biggest problem we faced during the project implementation,” says Amba Jagan, Project Manager, Megha Engineering Company.
Recent rains have also resulted in submergence of crops in this area. With the commissioning of this project, such incidents would not recur hereafter. Construction of a Pump House, Discharge Points, Regulator, Sub Station and laying down the required transmission lines are the core works of this project. Explaining about the project Mr. Amba Jagan said that, “There are 16 Motors and 16 Pumps in the Pump House. Each Motor is having the capacity of lifting 350 cusecs of water during eventuality. One pump among the total 16 would be kept as a standby pump. If there is any repair for any pump, this standby pump would be used till that repair is done. Pump capacity is 300 RPM and each Motor is having a capacity of 993 RPM. Each pump would use 1.6 KV electricity during its operation.”
Discharge Point is constructed 23 feet above the ground to avoid any problem even if there is a heavy flood in River Krishna. Pipelines are laid in 16 rows along a length of 1.4 kms between the Pump House and Discharge Point. For laying these pipelines, the existing flood barrier/bridge (karakatta) was partially removed for some time, but it is completely restored afterwards on a war footing note as it connects Vijayawada Town to Chief Minister Official Residence and existing Secretariat. A lot of beautification has been done in between the places from Discharge Point to this Flood Prevention Bridge. Greenery was also developed along the lines of Pump House to this Bridge. Efforts have been going on to make the Discharge Point as a Tourist Point from where one can experience the beauty of River Krishna.
Construction of Electric Sub Station with a capacity of 132/11 KV is already completed along with the Transmission Lines. A sub station is connected to Tadepalli Feeder for which a High Tension Line is erected, along with the construction of 22 Towers. Ministry of Railway, Government of India has accorded special permission for the construction of this High Tension Line. Two Diesel Generators with a total capacity of 1250 KV are kept in to run the Motors and Pumps, as standby, for addressing any eventuality during the problems in power supply.
For preventing the return of water from Buckingham Canal, 5 Regulator Gates with a size of 5.00 Meters (length) x 2.65 Meters (width) are established; when there is heavy inflow from Krishna River into Buckingham Canal and water from Kondaveetivagu is also added to this, there would be some risks and these regulator gates would be used to prevent such possible risks.
