Andhra Pradesh Magazine English June 2016 | Page 15
Two Years of Accomplishments
AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu can be credited for displaying the political
dexerity to quicklyreassess his position and come out with a low-cost, temporary
solution with minimal impact on river ecology.
- DNA Newspaper
I
t was indeed a record-breaking
task, and it was completed in
record time. Pattiseema
Project, the first ever riverlinking project to have been completed in the country, has become a
reality thanks to the commitment of
the political leadership.
Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme
(PLIS) was completed within the
scheduled time of one year.
Intended to draw flood waters of
Godavari River and flow it to
Krishna at Prakasam Barrage
through Polavaram Right Main
Canal, the project was all set to draw
80 tmcft water from Godavari as on
March this year.
Pattiseema has been widely
welcomed across the nation,
especially for the determination
with which Naidu completed the
project.
National newspaper DNA called
Pattiseema as ‘Chandrababu
Naidu’s feat’, said, “Through
improvisation, Andhra Pradesh has
linked two rivers by utilising
existing irrigation infrastructure
without facing the pitfalls of
conventional river-interlinking”.
The construction of PLIS began on
March 29 last year and has been
completed a day before completion
of one year.
According to Megha Engineering &
Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) the
company which executed the
project, completion of an irrigation
project within the scheduled time
was a record of sorts.
Usually, when the project is delayed,
the estimated cost goes up, thus
entailing an additional expenditure
on the government. But in case of
JUNE 2016
PLIS, the government did not have
to spend additional money on the
project since it has been completed
on time.
The pump house of the project is
also the largest in Asia, with 24
pumping units. Though the project
constitutes critical civil works
where foundation levels are far
below mean sea level, MEIL has
completed these works with local
technological expertise.
First pump set commenced on
September 18 last year in record
time. Now all 24 pump sets have
been tested successfully installed
and being pumped.
Administrative sanction was
accorded for PLIS on January 1 last
year for Rs.1,300 crore. The work
was entrusted to MEIL with one
year agreement period.
Features
w Pump house with 24 wells & 2
maintenance bays
w Total 24 pumps to discharge
8,500 cusecs of water
w Construction of 220KV double
circuit transmission lines for a
length of 30 km
w 2500 tmc of Godavari Water goes
into sea unutilised
w Diversion of 80 tmcft water into
Krishna
w As the Polavaram Irrigation
Project Head works will take
about four years for completion,
PLS has been conceived to protect
Krishna delta from famine
w PLS to lift water from Akhanda
Godavari Right Bank, at
Pattiseema
w Discharge water into Polavaram
ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE.ORG
Right Main canal (at KM 1.50)
MEIL officials claimed that that it
was the first-of-its-kind project not
only in the sub-continent but also
the entire world. They said that the
project was unique because of the
diaphragm wall foundations.
“This is the first time that
foundations were designed with
diaphragm walls in the irrigation
sector. The diaphragm wall design
was used either in metro rails or in
ports,” officials explained.
The commissioning of all the 24
pump sets was completed on March
24 this year.
Twenty-four 6,300 horse power
motors and another 24 numbers of
5,300 horse power with the capacity
to lift 8,500 cusecs were
commissioned. The construction of
a delivery cistern was also
completed. The PLIS has the
capacity to lift 80 tmcft of water in
110 flood days.
The CM lauded Megha Engineering
and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL)
and the Irrigation Department
engineers for completing the project
in one year after overcoming the
technical glitches.
An enthused Chief Minister
promised to divert 100 tmcft of
water from Pattiseema lift-irrigation
project to the Srisailam reservoir
through Pothireddipadu head
regulator and complete all the
irrigation projects to drive away
drought from the region.
Promising Krishna-Pennar river
linkage, Chandrababu Naidu said his
goal was to network all the rivers in
the State.
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