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Water Supply

Make use of natural water bodies, Kallam tells GVMC

Wednesday, 30 June 2010 05:16 administrator
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The Hindu       30.06.2010

Make use of natural water bodies, Kallam tells GVMC

G.V. Prasada Sarma

Call to rope in big establishments for tanks' development

VISAKHAPATNAM: Visakhaptnam Port Trust Chairman Ajeya Kallam has advised the GVMC to avoid going in for big projects and instead use natural water bodies in and around the city for conservation to meet the needs of people. There are about 70 to 80 big establishments, including the port trust and steel plant, and by involving them the tanks could be readied in two years, he said at the 208 {+t} {+h} birth anniversary of the architect of the Godavari delta Sir Arthur Cotton, organised by the Association of Consultant Civil Engineers and Indian Concrete Institute local chapters here on Tuesday.

Mr. Kallam said the country should evolve a development model that was in tune with its culture and said countries like Germany were limiting the size of their cities within one million instead of taking pride in creating bigger agglomerations.

Besides avoiding excessive concretisation of roads, while allowing real estate development protecting the natural course of water in the catchment area was of importance, Mr. Kallam pointed out.

He commended the presentation made by retired geo-engineering professor of AU V. Venkateswara Rao “on protection and development of water bodies in augmenting water supply for GVMC” prepared by him and S. Gopala Sastry of Sohum Consultancy, as sensible and practical.

Additional sources

The presentation suggested creating additional water sources, new reservoirs for transported water and summer storage, improving storage capacities of present reservoirs and tanks and subsurface dykes across river beds. Prof. Venkateswara Rao said about 70 to 80 tanks could be used as storage space for the 24 tmcft to be realised from Polavaram canal and avoid acquiring 4,000 acres of land.

GVMC Chief Engineer B. Jayarami Reddy said 90 tanks had the potential to be developed as tourist resorts as well as for groundwater recharge. The GVMC intended to conserve water on the lines of ‘Project Agastya' in Bangalore.

GVMC Chief Engineer Vinay Kumar said the micro reservoirs project would be taken up on a bigger level. Mr. Gopala Sastry, Mr. Gopal and former Principal of AU Engineering College Bangareswara Sarma participated.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 June 2010 05:17
 

Daily water supply unlikely

Tuesday, 29 June 2010 05:06 administrator
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The Hindu      29.06.2010

Daily water supply unlikely

Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM: The alternate day water supply by the municipal corporation is likely to continue for some more time.

The available water is now only 40 million gallons and unless double that quantity is available it won't be possible to switch over to normal, daily supply, says Municipal Commissioner V.N. Vishnu.

The water in the reservoirs now is expected to last for two months if alternate day supply is continued.

“We have to take a risk if regular supply is restored expecting rain. The situation has to be watched till July 15,” he said on Monday.

There has not been any significant inflow into the Yeleru canal, the major source. Gosthani had about 3.6 mgd from which the needs of Madhurwada and MVP Colony are being met.

If daily supply is given only 30 mgd can be supplied but the pressure will not be sufficient. “Instead it would be better if one hour supply is maintained on alternate days with good pressure,” he felt.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 June 2010 05:07
 

Watersheds, not wards, to decide how storm water duties are shared

Monday, 28 June 2010 11:20 administrator
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Indian   Express   28.06.2010

Watersheds, not wards, to decide how storm water duties are shared

Stuti Shukla Tags : corporation, storm water drainage projects Posted: Mon Jun 28 2010, 03:26 hrs

Mumbai:  With storm water drainage (SWD) projects delayed over years, the BMC will adopt a new system of accountability for staff of the SWD department, redrawing their areas of responsibility.

The distribution of nullah improvement responsibility, currently on the basis of ward offices, will be replaced by the “watershed management” approach. The move is aimed at improving the rainwater drainage system by 2012.

A watershed is the entire catchment area of a nullah system that includes major and minor nullahs and rivulets with a common discharge outfall point into the sea. A watershed is charted out based on geography and natural drainage systems, instead of ward-level boundaries drawn for administrative convenience.

At present, ward officials work on minor nullahs while officials from the central SWD department work on major nullahs within the ward. Additional municipal commissioner (SWD) Aseem Gupta said such a distribution results in the buck being passed.

“Such a system is time-consuming as certain officials are responsible only for a certain portion of work even within the same nullah. In the watershed system, one executive engineer with his own team of assistant engineers and sub-engineers will be responsible for the cleaning, widening, deepening, desilting etc of the nullah system within his area. It will make it easier for the team to set targets and meet them. We also plan to give them a certain autonomy and powers in their area,” said Gupta.

Through the new system, BMC hopes to check the usual wastage of time and money plaguing all major SWD projects including BRIMSTOWAD. The showpiece project was first proposed in 1993 but 40 per cent of the work remains pending, with the total cost escalating from Rs 616 crore to Rs 2,000 crore.

The BMC plans to give each team managing a watershed the power to raze illegal structures and fine those found dumping garbage in open nullahs. “One of the biggest problems is continuous dumping of waste that choke open nullahs. The team of engineers will be vested with powers to penalise offenders,” a department official said.

Last Updated on Monday, 28 June 2010 11:21
 
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