Minister for Finance and Health T. Harish Rao announced in the Legislative Council on Tuesday that some pumps would start lifting water at Annaram pump-house (Kasipeta) in the third week of the month and some pumps at Medigadda pump-house (Kannepally) would be put back in motion to lift water by October-end.
The two pump houses having 17 and 12 pumps, respectively, were flooded and submerged in the second week of July following “unprecedented” flood in the river Godavari. Replying a short discussion on the flood, relief to flood-affected people and submergence of Kaleshwaram pump houses, the Minister said the news of partial revival of the pump houses soon would be a bitter pill to swallow to the Opposition parties who were engaged in murky politics over the issue.
He reiterated that the submergence of the two pump houses was not the result of human error but was a natural calamity as the river at the location witnessed highest flood in 500 years. However, the State Government was not spending any money on the revival of pump houses as the contract agency was carrying out the work on its own as part of the agreement with defect liability. He also assured that the government would ensure sufficient water to the ayacut linked to Kaleshwaram system.
The Minister explained that both the barrages and pump houses of the project were designed and constructed taking into account the highest flood recorded in the previous 500 years. The highest flood recorded at the pump house location was in 1986 when the flow was 24 lakh cusecs and level was 107.09 metres. However, this time the flow was nearly 29 lakh cusecs and the level was 108.2 meters.
Stating that it was for the first time that 15 lakh acres under SRSP Stage-I and Stage-II was given water during the last rabi season, he said one Union Minister was of the view that water was not given to even one acre. If that was the case how could the paddy production would go up to 2.59 crore tonnes in 2021-22 from just 68 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, he sought to know.
Despite not lifting water from Medigadda, 15 tmc ft water was kept ready in Kondapochammasagar, 14 tmc ft in Mallannasagar and 2 tmc ft each in Anantagiri and Ranganayakasagar by lifting the flood water diverted to Mid Manair from SRSP-Flood Flow Canal with just one-stage of lifting.
He also explained that the government had supplied free ration, ₹10,000 cash assistance and sanctioned houses to all those who were displaced by floods.
