Telangana retired engineers say Kannepalli pumps can be operated, offer voluntary services

The Telangana Retired Engineers Association has claimed that Kannepalli, Annaram and Sundilla pumps can be operated safely with proper procedures. It said flood flows in the Pranahita could enable water lifting through the system without causing damage if monitored carefully.

Hyderabad: Amid the Congress government’s claim that Kannepalli pump house cannot be operated citing NDSA recommendations, the Telangana Retired Engineers Association (TREA) has asserted that the pumps at Kannepalli, Annaram and Sundilla can be operated safely by following a few operating practices.

The association also offered to provide voluntary services to the government in the interest of the people, particularly the farming community. TREA honorary president G Damodar Reddy, president M Shyam Prasad Reddy and general secretary Taneeru Venkatesham issued a press note to this effect on Thursday.

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The TREA said water could be lifted from Medigadda whenever there was sufficient flood flow in the River Pranahita. It said the hydraulic conditions were favourable as the Minimum Drawn Down Level (MDDL) required to supply water to the Kanepally pumping station at Medigadda was 93.5 metres, while the present flood level under open-gate conditions was 97.5 metres.
Under these conditions, around 3 tmcft of water could be lifted every day from the Kannepalli pumping station, the association said.

For smooth onward movement of water, the upstream reservoirs should be maintained at the MDDL of 116.5 metres at Annaram and 126.5 metres at Sundilla. At these levels, all three barrages would remain at their safe minimum operating levels and could function together, the TREA explained.

The association said the Annaram barrage has a storage capacity of 5.1 tmcft and the Sundilla barrage 3.78 tmcft, giving them a combined pondage of 8.8 tmcft. It said that even if the two barrages were to fail, the river flow would be about 1.02 lakh cusecs in 24 hours, 2.04 lakh cusecs in 12 hours, 4.08 lakh cusecs in six hours and 8.16 lakh cusecs in three hours. According to past flood records at Medigadda, the River Pranahita can record flows of up to 10 lakh cusecs during floods.

The TREA said even short flood spells would provide an opportunity to lift nearly 8.8 tmcft of water through the three-lift chain without causing damage to property, loss of life or submergence. It said that as long as the Pranahita flood level remained above the MDDL required at Medigadda, water could be lifted to Kannepalli and then moved to Annaram, Sundilla and up to Yellampalli while maintaining the prescribed operating levels. Since 8.8 tmcft could be captured during short-duration high flows, the system could be operated during active river conditions.

Based on past flood experience, such operations would not result in loss of life, damage to property or submergence of villages if carried out carefully and within safe operating practices, the association added.