Nellore: Kurnool has been repeated in Nellore. While huge inflows into Tungabhadra caused havoc in Kurnool in Sept. 2009, encroachments on 13 irrigation canals passing through Nellore city inundated several low-lying areas, causing innumerable problems for residents. The situation is worst in Mansoor Nagar, Parameswari Nagar, Sivagiri Colony, Moolapeta, areas located opposite CAM high school and Rajiv Gruhakalpa housing colony among others.
All these areas are without power and residents are pleading for drinking water. Though authorities shifted some people to relief camps, many people prefer to stay back to protect their valuables fearing thefts.
Unlike before, main roads in the heart of the town near Madras Bus Stand are under knee deep water for three days including Friday. With colonies under a sheet of water from Tuesday, the possibility of outbreak of epidemics is looming large over Nellore city. Medical and Health Department officials claimed that they have opened medical camps close to affected areas.
Nellore city legislator Dr P.Anil Kumar Yadav said that they have not seen this kind of inundation during the last 25 years. Corporation officials suspect that irrigation officials failed to close the sluice of Nellore tank supply at Sangam barrage even after the tank was full to the brim and this led to heavy discharge from the tank into the city.
Incidentally every politician is aware of flood threat to the city due to encroachments but they kept silent for votes and are talking about removing them now.
Although Urban Development Minister, Narayana has been blaming the Congress regime for the construction on irrigation canals during their decade long rule, all the political parties including TDP contributed to the encroachments and even prevailed upon revenue officials to issue pattas with an eye on votes.
“It is going to be a Herculean task to demolish the houses built on canals since the occupants will easily obtain stay as the civic body is collecting taxes and the electricity wing also gave power connections to the illegal constructions in most of the places,” a corporation official said.
District Congress president, K. Dhanunjaya Reddy said, “everyone concerned knew that Nellore region receives heavy rainfall between October and December, but unfortunately there is no action plan in place to deal with this kind of situation.”
All irrigation canals should be de-silted one month before the rainy season at least in the future to protect the city from becoming another Kurnool, he added.
Experts call for direct channel to Pennar
Irrigation engineers have been recommending closure of the surplus weir (an open vent without any sluice to allow excess water to flow out of tank, and it is popularly known as Alugu in Telugu) at Nilagirisangam in Nellore. Their suggestion is to establish a direct channel into Pennar River from Nellore tank to prevent submergence of Nellore in future.
“As an alterative, similar surplus weir at Jonnawada road, which is connected directly to Pennar river, can be used to release excess water from the tank after closing the surplus weir at Nilagirisangam,” a senior irrigation engineer said.
He said that Mala Kaluva and Mallamma Kaluva carrying the surplus water from the tank and Ramireddy Canal also from the tank played havoc in the City.
Noted Advocate M. Ravindra Reddy of Nellore said the British rulers kept some area between Nellore tank to Pennar River vacant to protect the City from inundation, but political leaders from time to time gave pattas while referring to Manumasiddhi Nagar and Mansoor Nagar which came up after 80s.”
He added that the size of Nellore tank shrunk due to separation of summer storage tank and this also contributed to the inundation of Nellore city in the ongoing rain.
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