Madhurawada to get 24×7 water supply
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has floated tenders for a nearly ₹700-crore project to provide 24×7 water supply to Madhurawada (Zone-II) and adjoining areas.
The project, approved by the national apex committee of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under the Urban Challenge Fund, includes two raw-water intake and pumping stations, a 65 MLD water treatment plant and smart meters for about 37,400 households.
Madhurawada and its surrounding areas face water shortages during summer as the Gosthani river dries up and the region lacks adequate storage facilities. The rapid pace of urbanisation in northern Visakhapatnam, with residential projects, IT establishments, data centres and hospitality ventures coming up, has further increased the demand for water.
The project will involve the replacement of existing water mains and the laying of new DI and HDPE pipelines. The distribution network will be divided into 50 district metered areas (DMAs), each equipped with bulk meters, isolation valves and pressure-monitoring systems.
Smart meters will be installed at all consumer connections under an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The system will enable automated meter readings and help detect leakages, tampering and reverse flow, besides integrating with the billing system.
The project aims to provide a continuously pressurised water supply with a minimum residual head of 12 metres and reduce non-revenue water to 10% or less.
GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said the project would help turn Madhurawada into a continuously supplied and pressurised water zone.
“District metered areas will help systematically detect and reduce non-revenue water. The focus will be on reducing leakages and water losses while using automation to maintain pressure, quality and continuity over the long term,” he said.
A SCADA-based system, along with a central control room, will monitor the treatment plant, pumping stations, reservoirs, transmission mains and DMAs.