VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna district irrigation department has issued notices to the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation telling it to stop the release of drain water into the canals as hundreds of villages depend on them for their drinking water needs. In the past, the state pollution control board too had issued notices to the VMC on the issue. The irrigation department stepped into the picture after the state government made public its intention to beautify the canal bunds. The government directed the irrigation officials to strengthen the bunds and clean the canals. However, the government’s plans would be difficult to implement due to the condition of the canals. At present, the irrigation department is not in a position to maintain cleanliness in the canal.
As per an irrigation department report, as many as 60 drains of the VMC are connected to the canals, releasing dirty water. This dirty water flows to 374 villages downstream, who sue it to drink. Towns like Eluru, Mac-hilipatnam, Hanuman Junction and Gudiwada too depend on these canals for their drinking water requirement. The situation is worst in the summer, when falling levels in these canals results in the water turning into slush due to the mixing of dr-ainage water with mud. It is imperative that the canals are cleaned and the drainage water being let into them stopped immediately.
The state government had recently announced its plans to modernise the canal bunds and turn them into tourism hubs. However, irrigation officials say that it would be next to impossible to implement the government’s plans when the VMC’s drains are connected to the canals. Krishna district irrigation department SE K. Srinivasa Rao said that the department has already communicated the issue to the VMC several times. “We will also bring the issue to the notice of the state government,” he said.
