Andhra Pradesh Government inaugurates country's first lift irrigation project

Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated India’s first river linking project viz. Pattiseema lift irrigation project connecting Godavari River with Krishna River from the ongoing Polavaram Multi-purpose Irrigation Project.
The project has been completed in a record time of one year by the Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).
Key facts

• The project has capactiry to lift 80 tmc (trillion metric cubic feet) of flood water from Godavari River in a span of 110 days during the flooding season between July and October.
• Water is pumped up to a nearby point and discharged into Polavaram Right Main Canal that flows under gravity to a tributary of River Krishna about 170 km.
• The project contains 24 pumps and 24 motors of 5,300 HP and 6,300 HP respectively with a combined capacity to discharge 8,500 cusecs of water.
• The project requires 113 mw of power to run all the 24 pumps as each motor require 4.7 mw of power to lift the water.

The first pump of this Godavari-Krishna linking project was installed and switched on in September 2015. It will benefit the people especially farmers in the Krishna delta in terms of timely availability and adequate quantities of water.
Polavarm project: It was declared as a national project under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 and was being funded by the Union Government. It is being built on Godavari River.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2016