Under the oversight and collaboration of the Indian Army’s engineering task force, officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) successfully repaired the third and largest breach in the Budameru diversion channel (BDC) at Santhinagar near Kondapalli in the NTR district. Although the breach was sealed using the Gabion system—a method involving rectangular metal-filled baskets—the temporary bund is experiencing minor seepages, leading to some water leakage. Efforts are underway to address these seepages.
The 40-member Army team, working under the guidance of WRD officials, used the Gabion system to redirect floodwater from the Budameru channel to the Krishna River via the diversion canal, preventing it from flooding Vijayawada city. Despite the successful breach repair, approximately 500 cusecs of floodwater leaked from the temporary bund, which could potentially impact areas in Vijayawada.
Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad, and WRD adviser M. Venkateshwara Rao oversaw the repair work. While the major breach has been sealed, concerns remain about the seepage from the new bund. Efforts are focused on mitigating further flooding from the upper catchment area, especially with heavy rains anticipated in the coming days.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu monitored the situation via drone. Despite heavy rains complicating the bund heightening efforts at Kondapalli, Ramanaidu personally supervised the operations and even took a boat to inspect the work.
Krishna Prasad noted that flood inflows into Budameru had decreased on Sunday compared to Saturday. To prepare for a potential increase in floodwaters up to 10,000 cusecs, the government plans to add a third layer to the newly constructed bund.
NTR District Collector G. Srijana reported that 1,700 enumeration teams have been deployed to assess flood damage to 2.32 lakh homes and businesses. Enumeration is set to begin on Monday.
Additionally, Gate 69 at Prakasam Barrage, which was damaged when a drifting boat struck it last Monday, has been inspected. Authorities also replaced damaged counterweights on gates 67 and 70 based on recommendations from irrigation adviser K. Kannayya Naidu.
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu inspected the counterweights at the Prakasam Barrage and praised the engineering team for their prompt repairs.
Municipal Administration Minister Ponguru Narayana announced that the state government is considering building a retaining wall along the Budameru rivulet to prevent future flooding. Narayana, along with MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, visited several flood-affected areas including Indira Naik Nagar, New RR Peta, Ajith Singh Nagar, and Payakapuram. He noted that a similar retaining wall along the Krishna River has helped prevent floods in the Krishna Lanka area and emphasized that a similar solution might be implemented along the Budameru rivulet to safeguard against further flooding.
Leave a comment