The Hindu 15.12.2010
Authorities brace up for daily water supply
Staff Reporter
| Three elevated-level service reservoirs handed over to Public health department for trial run |
Civic body plans to add 16 mld to its present capacity of 24 mld
YSR laid stone for the Rs.18.64-crore drinking water scheme
Photo: Srinivas Kommuri
Looking ahead:District Collector Kantilal Dande and Municipal Commissioner S Ravindra Babu inspecting the filtration plant in Ongole on Tuesday.
ONGOLE: The long-cherished dream of daily water supply for citizens is all set to become reality as against once in three days now, with the handing over of three elevated-level service reservoirs(ELSRs) by the Public Health department to the civic authorities for trial run.
“The trial run is on under the areas covered by three ELSRs at Gandhinagar, Sirigiri hill top and Bhagyanagar. Leakages on main lines are plugged to stabilise the water supply system through gravity'', Muncipal Commissioner S Ravindra Babu said.
“The fourth ELSR at Dibbal Road will be handed over by the month-end and another ELSR by March 2011 as part of the civic body's plan to augment the drinking water supply to meet the needs of the people of the town even up to 2021,'' Public Health Executive Engineer A Satyanarayana Rao said.
Prakasam District Collector Kantilal Dande, Special Officer in-charge of Ongole Municipality visited the filtration plant on Tuesday and held a detailed examination of the water supply position with the Municipal commissioner and other officials.
The civic body has programmed to add additional 16 Million litres per day (mld) through the ELSRs to add to its present capacity of 24 mld.
Expected demand
“This will be enough to meet the expected demand even upto 40 MLD by 2021'', Mr Rao said, adding the filtration plants have already been completed.
Pipeline has been laid connecting the new ELSRs to the existing distribution mains except for a few areas where it crosses the road like in Ramnagar and near the RTC bus stand.
''Once hydraulic testing is over, the new water supply system will be connected to the existing distribution network latest by month-end'', he added.
It was late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who had laid the foundation stone for the Rs.18.64-crore drinking water scheme to enable the municipality supply water daily instead of once-in-three days presently.
The Rs. 18-crore drinking water augmentation scheme was sanctioned by the Centre at the instance of Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasula Reddy.
