The Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL) successfully executed the
Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS) Phase-II and ready to
inauguration by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. It is yet another milestone in MEIL’s
journey towards creating World’s Major Irrigation vertical company. The
Irrigation Department of Andhra Pradesh government awarded this project to
MEIL with the estimated outlay of Rs. 1550 crore. Prior this MEIL is also
completed the Phase-I of PLIS and inaugurated by The Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh, Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu on15 August last year.
Yeleru reservoir which has a capacity of 24 TMC feet of water has never been
filled during the last ten years. It would have 10-12 TMC of water on an
average. Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) have mitigated the
problem with Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme. The project taken up
as part of Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanti is a boon to the people & farmers of East
Godavari district. It also caters to the drinking water needs of the people of
Visakhapatnam and addressed the water requirements of industries in
Visakhapatnam including Visakhapatnam steel plant. PLIS would ensure filling
Yeleru reservoir to the brim. Phase 1 of PLIS was taken up at
Purushothapatnam village of Seethanagaram Mandal in East Godavari district.
During the last water year, 1.6 TMC feet of water lifted from Godavari River
has been pumped to Yeleru reservoir with two motors. The water pumped
from the scheme flowed through Polavaram left the main canal and reached
Yeleru reservoir. Purushothapatnam LIS was designed to utilize Godavari water
that is otherwise discharged into the sea.
“Despite several problems like laying of pipelines through agricultural lands,
wet soil and hostile terrain, Megha Engineering has overcome all the hurdles to
successfully complete the project on time,” said Associate Vice-President of
MEIL Sri K. Rangarajan.
The First Phase of this project was commissioned with 10 vertical turbine
pumps with a capacity of 57 megawatts. Each pump can lift 10 cumecs of
water. The pumped water will be discharged through MS pressure main in 5 rows. Each pipe is of 3200 mm diameter, which will run for a length of 10.10 Km.
“The Second phase of PLIS built at Ramavaram will draw 1400 cusecs of water
from the Godavari River during floods and pump it to Yeleru reservoir through
Polavaram left main canal. It requires lifting water to a height of 68 meters. To
enable this operation eight pumps each with a capacity of five cumecs have
been installed. Water lifted from Polavaram left main canal will have to be
taken to Yeleru reservoir through pipelines” explained Mr Rangarajan.
For this purpose pipelines in two rows have been laid for a distance of 13.12
KM. The main objective is to supply water for irrigation to an extent of 2.15
lakh acres by making use of the existing infrastructure available at Polavaram
left main canal under Pithapuram branch canal, Polavaram left main canal and
Yeleru reservoir areas. Through Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme 12
TMC feet of water will be utilized for drinking and industrial needs of
Visakhapatnam city. The Government estimates an annual income of Rs. 200
crore through this lift irrigation scheme. The Government acquired 254 acres
required for the first phase of PLIS and handed the same to MEIL in May 2017.
Megha has completed the first phase of PLIS within four months and got it
commissioned by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Similarly, the government has acquired 115 acres in Ramavaram and
surrounding villages to commence works on the second phase of PLIS. MEIL
has raced against time to complete the works on a war footing and made the
scheme ready for commissioning.
Redefining Moment for MEIL
It’s a redefining moment in the history of Megha Engineering and
Infrastructures Ltd., (MEIL). It created a record of sorts for having successfully
accomplished an arduous journey of setting up of massive pumps and motors
for lift irrigation schemes across India. The achievement is unparalleled as no
other company in the entire world has executed so many lift irrigation schemes
powered by gigantic pumping systems in less than five years. Not long ago the
yardstick to measure the capacity of pumps and motors in lift irrigation
schemes were in terms of horsepower (HP).
However, with the growing needs and advent of new technologies, the
capacity of pumps and motors had reached to megawatts. While low capacity
(HP) pumps and motors have made many lift irrigation projects impractical and
redundant, Megha has stepped in with the state-of-the-art technologies and
innovative solutions in the field of lift irrigation to make them viable and
meaningful.
MEIL is the only company which has successfully executed five major lift
irrigation projects in two Telugu states since 2012 and set a record for its
achievement. Now, with the commencement of pumping water to Yeleru
reservoir under phase two of Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Project, MEIL
has surpassed its own record.
Installing 186 high power pumps and motors with a combined capacity of 731
megawatts capacity in as many as 17 pumping stations under five major lift
irrigation schemes is no mean achievement by any standards. And MEIL has
accomplished it with aplomb. Until recently, Mubarak pumping station in Egypt was considered as the biggest lift irrigation scheme in the world. It was built with a 228-megawatt capacity. With the commissioning of a major lift irrigation pumping station on
Handri-Neeva in Andhra Pradesh, MEIL has emerged as the largest company in
the world for having commissioned massive lift irrigation projects in AP and
Telangana with a combined capacity of 731 megawatts. The capacity is much
higher when compared to other lift irrigation projects MEIL has executed
across other states in the country.
At present, under phase two of Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Project, water
is being pumped into Yeleru with eight pumps of 4.8 megawatts capacity each.
The water has to be lifted to a height of 68 meters before being pumped.
Under Handri-Neeva stage-1, 128 pumps have been installed in 12 pumping
stations with a total capacity of 458.83 megawatts: a record by itself. Under
Muchumarri LI scheme, 13 pumps of 48.1 megawatts capacity have been set
up. Likewise, Megha has completed Pattiseema, Bhakta Ramadasu. Phase 1 of
Purushothapatnam has been successfully commissioned and maintained by Megha. Pattiseema lift irrigation project which has 24 pumps of a total 113
megawatts capacity was already up and functional since two years. Under
phase 1 of Purushothapatnam LIP, 10 pumps with 5.22 megawatts capacity
each have been set up. Bhakta Ramadasu lift irrigation project in Telangana
was built with two pumps with a total of 21 megawatts capacity.
The unique feature in the entire lift irrigation schemes being undertaken by
MEIL is linking of rivers. Megha has achieved a distinction for linking of river
Krishna with Penna, Krishna with Godavari and Godavari with Yeleru. Similarly,
having completed Narmada-KshipraSimhastha lift irrigation scheme, MEIL is
being acclaimed to be the first company to achieve inter-state linking of rivers
in the country.