Media News. Article in The Asian Age - July 31, 2003

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Source: http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?

layout=2&cat1=5&cat2=39&html=200373103313.htm&newsid=9579

http://www.hvk.org/articles/0803/8.html

 

Sai Baba trust to quench Chennai thirst for water

 

Author: Venkat Parsa

Publication: The Asian Age

July 31, 2003

 

At a time when fierce inter-state water disputes have become the

order of the day, a private charitable trust, Sri Satya Drinking

Water project, will supply drinking water to Chennai, where the

problem has been acute for a long time.

 

Work has been in full swing for over 12 months now and if all goes

well, it is likely to be completed by August.

 

Satya Sai Baba of Puttaparthi in Anantapur district in Andhra

Pradesh, who has taken up project, is personally monitoring the

project. Satya Sai Baba has stepped in to complete the Telugu Ganga

project, which was designed to carry Krishna waters from Andhra

Pradesh to Chennai, to meet the drinking water requirements of the

Capital city of Tamil Nadu.

 

It was on January 19, 2002, that Sai Baba made a dramatic and

totally unexpected announcement to fund the drinking water for

Chennai, moved by the plight of the people there.

 

Significantly, both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu governments are co-

operating with Sai Baba in the speedy execution of the drinking

water project.

 

The Telugu Ganga project launched, with a commitment of 15 tmc ft

water, with each State of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

pledging 5 tmc ft water for the project, to meet the drinking water

requirement for Chennai.

 

Basically, the River Krishna water was to be stored in Srisailam Dam

in Andhra Pradesh, was to be brought by a canal to a reservoir

called Kandaleru. Then, the water was to be taken to Tamil Nadu

border through a 150 km-long canal to the Poondi reservoir near

Chennai.

 

The Telugu Ganga project got embroiled in a controversy, with

Central clearance not forthcoming. The late NTR had gone ahead with

the project, even without Central clearance. The Chandrababu Naidu

government in Andhra Pradesh is co-operating with Sai Baba, to make

the pledge a reality.

 

Technical examination revealed that water flow to Chennai was

minimal, because the original Telugu Ganga Canal linking Kandaleru

in Andhra Pradesh to Poondi in Tamil Nadu had become dilapidated. So

it was literally decided to rebuild the 150 km-long canal. The Satya

Sai Trust has taken upon itself the funding of the entire project.

 

The two-fold purpose of the project is to deepen and widen the canal

and to improve the reservoir in Kandaleru, so that it can hold

enough water to serve even during the dry seasons.

 

In fact, Satya Sai Baba had earlier directed the Sri Satya Sai

Central Trust to launch projects to provide clean drinking water on

a massive scale. As part of the initiative, the Anantapur Project

was started in March, 1995, and was completed in a record time of 18

months.

 

Subsequently, similar projects were also undertaken in Medak and

Mahboobnagar.

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Sai Baba in the Media:

http://www.saibabalinks.org/saibabainthemedia.htm