Raiwada Reservoir

Raiwada Reservoir
Raiwada Reservoir
	Raiwada reservoir and a sluice gate bridge.
	Location of Raiwada reservoir in Andhra Pradesh
Official name	Sri Varada Narayana Murty Raiwada Reservoir Project
Country	India
Location	Devarapalli, Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh
Coordinates	18°01′09″N 82°58′59″E / 18.019092°N 82.983007°E
Purpose	Irrigation, water supply
Status	Operational
Construction began	1981
Opening date	1982
Owner(s)	Government of Andhra Pradesh
Dam and spillways
Impounds	Sarada River
Length	5,750 m

Sri Varada Narayana Murty Raiwada Reservoir Project or Raiwada Reservoir is a reservoir constructed across the Sarada River near Raiwada village, Devarapalli mandal, Anakapalli district, 58 km from Visakhapatnam city. It is one of the main water sources for Visakhapatnam city.^[1] Its capacity is 2,360 tcm, and it is maintained by Irrigation & CAD Dept.^[2]

History

The Raiwada reservoir was discussed in 1962 legislative assembly debate and was estimated to cost ₹1.1 Crore, equivalent to ₹96 Crore in 2024.^[3] It was again discussed in 1964 as an important project which would help meet the water requirements of the soon to be setup of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and the Hindustan Shipyard, along with the Meghadri Gedda Reservoir.^[4] The Raiwada Reservoir Scheme was included in the third five-year plan,^[5] and the project was constructed during 1981-82. It was argued in a 1997 article titled "Water for the Rich" in Economic and Political Weekly that GVMC prioritised water supply for industries by supplying 125 lakh gallons to industries while only 97 lakh gallons per day were available for domestic consumption.^[6]

Canals

The main canal passes through Devarapalli, Vepada, K.Kotapadu, Sabbavaram, and transports water from the reservoir to a filtration plant in Narava for drinking water requirements of Visakhapatnam. The total length of canals is 68 Km. In 2019, GVMC spent ₹1.96 crore to draw water from dead storage due to water shortages in summer.^[7]