HNSS water brings relief to water-starved Madanapalle

Tirupati: Bringing much-needed relief to a town battling water scarcity since April, the diversion of Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) water has helped revive 42 dried-up borewells in Madanapalle.

District Collector Nishant Kumar said the initiative had improved drinking water availability in the municipal area, which had been facing a severe shortage following a sharp decline in groundwater levels. The drought conditions associated with the El Nino effect had worsened the situation, leaving several borewells with inadequate water and causing others to dry up completely.

Of the 65 borewells that had stopped functioning due to groundwater depletion, 42 have now been recharged and restored to a stage where they can supply water. The improvement has helped the municipal authorities provide better drinking water services to residents.

To tackle the crisis, the district administration prepared a special action plan to replenish groundwater resources by utilising water from the HNSS project. As part of the initiative, arrangements were made to divert water from the HNSS tunnel into the Ammacheruvu tank through its feeder channel.

Initially, four motors, each with a capacity of 20 HP, were installed to pump water from the tunnel. A pipeline was laid to establish connectivity between the tunnel and the feeder channel, facilitating the transfer of water into the tank.

Pumping operations began soon after HNSS water reached Madanapalle. To accelerate the filling of the Ammacheruvu tank, the administration subsequently installed two additional motors, each with a capacity of 25 HP, along with the required pipeline infrastructure.

In addition to Ammacheruvu, the district administration also ensured the filling of Chippili SS Tank with 30 million cubic feet (MCFT) of water to strengthen the town’s overall water availability.

Collector Nishant Kumar said the administration had accorded top priority to meeting the drinking water requirements of the people by making effective use of available water resources and implementing measures to improve groundwater levels.

He attributed the improvement to coordinated efforts by the district administration and said the groundwater recharge initiative had provided considerable relief to residents. The measures were aimed at ensuring a more reliable drinking water supply in the municipal area.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pradeep Vennelakanti

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