The Veligonda Project is an irrigation project located in Markapur, Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] When completed, the project will provide irrigational facilities to 459,000 acres and drinking water to 1.5 million people in 29 Mandals of fluoride and drought affected areas in Prakasam district, Nellore district and Kadapa district by diverting 43.5 TMC of floodwater from the Krishna River from foreshore of Srisailam Reservoir near Kollamvagu and proposed to store in Nallamalasagar Reservoir. The water for the project is drawn through two 18.8 km long tunnels across Nallamala hills.[2][3] The project has been renamed to the "Poola Subbaiah Irrigation Project".[4][5] It displaces around 20,946 families.[6] The oustees have protested for enhanced compensation over the years and many have not received the compensation promised to them.[7]

Construction

The project was commissioned by YS Rajasekhara Reddy when he was the CM of the undivided AP in 2005. The project works were completed by more than 50 per cent by time of his sudden death in 2009. With successive governments not giving required funds, the progress hit the roadblock. The contractors who bagged the project were also vexed due to difficulties in making the tunnels in the toughest terrain. The tunnel-I which was 18.787km long was completed for a length of 13.6km by 2014. Although digging of just around 5km is left to commission the project, the irrigation department could complete only around 2-kms between 2014-19. [8]

The construction includes two parallel tunnels of 18.8 km with 9.2 m and 7 m internal diameter and 21.6 km Flood flow canal for the water transmission system linking with Srisailam Reservoir up to Guntur-Kurnool road. The project is being implemented by a double shielded tunnel boring machine to make the tunnel without disturbing wildlife in the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.[9]

Krishna river water is stored in a reservoir called 'Nallamala Sagar' with 43.5 Tmcft live storage at 244 m msl full reservoir level and 214.3 m msl minimum draw down level.[10] Full supply level to the tunnels from the Srisailam reservoir is 857 ft msl (261.2 m msl) and the sill level at tunnels water inlet is 840 ft msl (256.03 m msl).

As of January 2020, 18.2 km (11.3 mi) of tunnel digging completed for the first tunnel, and 11.02 km (6.85 mi) for the second tunnel.[11][12] The first tunnel completed as of 14 January 2021.[13]

Project Timeline

Administrative Approval09/07/2004
Tender15/03/2005
Technical Sanction19/05/2006

References

  1. ↑ "Andhra Pradesh / Ongole News : Project details". Irrigation dept, Govt. of A.P.
  2. ↑ "AP CM Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu inspecting the construction of Veligonda Project". The Rahnuma Daily. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Nandam, Naresh (2 November 2018). "Will review the works of Veligonda project every month: CM Chandrababu". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Andhra Pradesh / 'Velugonda' to be named after Poola Subbaiah". The Hindu. 1 August 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Rao, M. Malleswara (25 March 2013). "The Hindu: Work on Veligonda project resumes". The Hindu. TheHindu.com.
  6. ↑ "Government to focus on Polavaram rehabilitation and resettlement". The New Indian Express. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "15 Years On, AP Families Displaced by Veligonda Project Fight for Fair Compensation". Land Conflict Watch. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "veliginda project may be inaugurated in September".
  9. ↑ "Double Shield bores Water Transfer Tunnel beneath Indian Tiger Sanctuary".
  10. ↑ "Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project". Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "environmentclearance project clearance" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "వెలిగొండ: ప్రకాశం జిల్లాకు వెలుగురేఖ (Telugu)". YouTube. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  13. ↑ "'వెలిగొండ' మొదటి సొరంగం పూర్తి". 14 January 2021.

15°46′06″N 79°10′50″E / 15.76833°N 79.18056°E / 15.76833; 79.18056

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