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Ambitious pipeline project to solve Tirumala's water scarcity

A multi-million pipeline project to supply water to the arid hilltop of Tirumala, the famous temple of Lord Venkateswara, has got underway. The temple town faces a serious shortage of water this season.

A bhumi puja for the Rs 1,200 million project, which would bring water from the Kalyani reservoir downhill, was performed in Tirumala yesterday. Scheduled to be completed in 80 days by four construction groups, the proposed pipeline will ensure supply of one million gallons of water every day to Tirumala.

The costs include Rs 20.5 million for the installation of two power sub-stations by the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation.

Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams executive officer I V Subba Rao said this was the first time in the country that laying a nine-kilometre pipeline to a height of 750 metres was being undertaken.

The project envisages a permanent water resource to Tirumala in case of exigencies like the present shortage due to the drying up of the Gogarbham and Papavinasam dams following monsoon failure, he told newspersons.

At present, every day more than 100 tankers transport 1.5 million gallons of water to Tirumala to maintain regular water supply.

UNI

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