Aging Pennar Delta Lifeline Breaches After Months Of Ignored Warnings

Nellore: For months, farmers across Pennar delta had been warning that the Kanigiri Reservoir—an ageing, 125-year-old lifeline—is in danger. But their pleas went unheeded. But when the southern channel suddenly gave way recently at three locations near Annareddypalem and Bapanapadu after a spell of recent heavy rains, the worst fears began to unfold.

It is on record that for six months, Pennar Delta Project Committee had been pleading with the Irrigation department to sanction ₹45 crore to strengthen the reservoir’s crumbling bunds. Their appeals—addressed even to Irrigation Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu—fell on deaf ears.

Constructed between 1890 and 1898 under the supervision of British engineer R. Smith, the Kanigiri Reservoir had once been the pride of Pennar Delta, channelling water from the Sangam Anicut (now replaced by the Sangam Barrage) through five major canals to irrigate 1.5 lakh acres.

But now, the marvel of colonial engineering has damaged gates, eroded embankments, and silt-choked storage, threatening livelihoods across Buchireddypalem, Sangam and Dagadarthi.

Only three of its 14 shutter gates are still functioning. Bund slopes have been battered by decades of neglect and cyclonic storms, leading to their weakening.

Jetty Rajagopal Reddy, chairman of the Penna Delta System, had been among the first to sound the alarm. Speaking about the recent breaches in the southern channel, he admitted they had a “very tough time” preventing the damage from spreading.

He blamed the failure to the unchecked expansion of fish ponds right along the embankments—despite rules requiring separate protective bunds. “What is even more shocking,” he said, “is that these ponds have been given power connections though they violate every regulation.”

In the interim, layers of silt have raised the reservoir floor, drastically shrinking its effective storage capacity. This has strained the reservoir’s ability to support irrigation, drinking water supply and flood control.

Farmers’ associations across the delta had repeatedly submitted representations to the executive engineer warning of the risks. MLA Vemireddy Prashanthi Reddy appealed to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Dr. Nimmala Rama Naidu to release ₹$45.06 crore for urgent repairs.

For farmers, Kanigiri Reservoir is not just a piece of infrastructure—it is the beating heart of their economy and survival. “The Kanigiri Reservoir is more than just a structure,” said one farmer who depends on its waters. “It supports agriculture, drinking water, and even groundwater levels in coastal Andhra. If it collapses, over a lakh acres of farmland and thousands of families will be devastated,” he warned.