HYDRAA Chief: Lake Restoration Key To Flood Control
“Today’s preparedness ensures tomorrow’s safety”: HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath
HYDERABAD: HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath on Wednesday said cities must strengthen preparedness to address rising flood risks linked to climate change, urbanisation and encroachments on water bodies.
Speaking at the second BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Summit in Puri, Odisha, he said, “Today’s preparedness ensures tomorrow’s safety.”
Ranganath, representing Telangana at the three-day summit organised by the National Disaster Management Authority from June 3 to 5, outlined measures taken to improve urban flood management.
He said HYDRAA had restored six lakes and was undertaking work on 18 more. He added that one acre of lake area could store between four and eight million litres of floodwater.
He also said the agency had reclaimed 2,182 acres of land from encroachments on lakes, drainage channels, parks and other public spaces, with an estimated value of about $9.48 billion, or over ₹80,000 crore.