River water must be properly utilised

P Rama Raju, retired engineer-in-chief of irrigation department, has emphasised the need for speeding up execution of irrigation projects planned on the Godavari River to meet the growing needs of water. Speaking after the inauguration of ‘Supernova 15’, a symposium of the civil engineering department at SRKR Engineering College on Friday, Raju said more irrigation projects should be taken up on major rivers in the country as the total requirement of water would rise by 55 per cent by 2050.

“The flood water of Godavari could be effectively utilised for the drinking and irrigation needs of the State if more projects were taken up on the mighty perennial river,” he said.Rama Raju exhorted civil engineering students to focus on preservation of natural resources for future generations by coming up with innovative designs for development projects.

Presiding over the symposium, civil engineering department head M Jagapathi Raju said that they were offering consultancy to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the Railways, Roads and Buildings, Municipal Administration and other departments in execution of development projects.College principal D Ranga Raju threw light on the career prospects for civil engineering students in the residual State. A souvenir was released on the occasion. Symposium faculty advisor V Rama Raju, IT department head G Parthasarathi Varma and others were present.