Flood Protection Wall Karakatta Under Construction Along Rallavagu in Mancherial
To stop flooding in low-lying colonies during monsoon, Godavari floods
Adilabad: The state government has taken up construction of a retaining wall, locally known as ‘Karakatta’, at an estimated cost of Rs 264.17 crore to prevent flooding in low-lying colonies of Mancherial town during the monsoon and Godavari floods.
The project will cover a stretch of about 6.7 km along Rallavagu, from Carmel School to the Godavari river. Construction has begun simultaneously from both the Carmel School side and the Godavari side to expedite completion.
The retaining wall is intended to prevent backwaters of the Godavari from entering residential colonies in Mancherial during periods of heavy rainfall and flooding. The state Cabinet approved the project and sanctioned funds for the construction.
Residents of low-lying colonies said the project offers relief as several areas in the town face flooding during the monsoon. Colonies frequently affected include NTR Nagar, Ramnagar, Old Mancherial, Brundavan Colony, the duplex area in LIC Colony, Reddy Colony, Janmabhumi Nagar, Bypass Road and Padmashali Colony.
During floods, backwaters of the Godavari often enter these colonies, forcing authorities to evacuate residents from vulnerable areas.
B. Rajarao, a resident of NTR Nagar, said floodwater regularly enters houses in the area during the monsoon and expressed hope that the retaining wall would prevent inundation in the future.
Officials said flooding in Mancherial is aggravated by backwaters linked to the Kaleshwaram project and water releases from the Sripada Yellampalli project. Inflows into the Yellampalli reservoir also increase during the monsoon due to upstream flows from the Kadam project and the Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP).
Mancherial MLA K. Premsagar Rao said the retaining wall would provide a permanent solution to prevent Godavari floodwaters from entering residential colonies along the river.
In the past, backwaters from the Medigadda and Annaram barrages had affected agricultural lands during the monsoon in parts of Chennur Assembly constituency in Mancherial district and Manthani constituency of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
Farmers had reported submergence of standing crops during the monsoon in October 2023. However, officials said water storage in the barrages has been limited after structural issues were reported in some pillars.
Villages such as Narsapur, Sundarashala, Beerelli and Ponkur in Chennur constituency had earlier reported crop losses due to backwaters from the Medigadda barrage.
Similarly, farmers in villages including Mallaram, Gangapuri, Gundarathpalli, Damarakunta, Laxmipur and Villasagar in Manthani constituency had reported crop damage due to backwaters from the Annaram barrage.
