Government will remove silt from Nagarjuna Sagar, Mallanna Sagar and other reservoirs

Hyderabad: Major reservoirs and irrigation projects will soon get rid of the mounting silt problem in the State. The Nagarjuna Sagar and all reservoirs constructed under the Kaleshwaram project will be desilted to ensure the structures remain strong and maintain water levels properly on a regular basis.

For this, the State government has decided to adopt the guidelines prescribed in the national framework for sediment management by the union Jal Shakti ministry.

Officials said that the State irrigation wing has already conducted a study on the silt problem in the projects and reservoirs. The sediment management in the recently constructed Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar, Ranganayak Sagar, and other reservoirs was also crucial to maintaining the structure quality for a long time.

“During low season (low flow conditions), when the reservoir is dry or marginally filled, silt will be removed from the live storage area and transported to a desired safe location. Though the environmental impact during dry excavation is generally not very high, as dry earth is being removed, it should not contribute to sediment runoff during subsequent rainy or flood conditions. This dumping place should be selected in such a way that it neither becomes a cause of sedimentation of the same reservoir from which the sediment is removed nor the cause of deposition in subsequent reservoirs,” the authorities said. They added that the removal of sediment is a big task before the government, and hence it required scientific management of the reservoirs from time to time.

Following the directions of the union ministry of Jal Shakti, the State government has already constituted a three-member cabinet subcommittee headed by State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy to study and recommend the modalities and guidelines on the national framework for sediment management.

As the Centre already permitted the States for the quality management of the reservoir, the subcommittee felt it does not require environmental clearances for the works at the project sites, and the government will move forward accordingly. The Irrigation, Ground Water, and Mines departments will take up sediment management collectively.