Fragile Godavari embankment poses grave threat to locals
Bhadrachalam locals concerned over govt’s lax attitude over protection wall’s collapse
Kothagudem: The district’s embankment, which was built to shield Bhadrachalam town from Godavari floods, has sustained numerous damages, raising concerns about the safety of locals. Recent rains caused the almost 50-metre-long protective wall that ran over the embankment from the bridge centre to the top portion of Kotha Colony to collapse. In addition to the 3 km embankment being weakened by untamed development of trees and plants, holes are created in some areas. Locals claimed that if the water level rose to 72 ft, the embankment would be powerless to prevent Godavari floods. It should be mentioned that a few years ago, a three-foot defensive wall was constructed on the 80-foot-high embankment to keep the town safe from flooding.
According to Mane Ramakrishna, the in-charge of BRS Bhadrachalam constituency, rather than taking long-term action, the government covered the holes with sandbags as a stopgap. He urged that the state government take prompt action to ensure that Godavari floods won’t pose a threat.
Macha Venkateswarlu, the district secretary of the CPI (M), expressed dissatisfaction about the lack of precautionary preparations to safeguard the town in the event of severe flooding. “The location where the 50-meter defensive wall fell was not inspected by Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao during his recent visit to Bhadrachalam,” he complained. He claimed it shows the Congress government’s disregard for the residents in low-lying areas.
“The safety of the residents of Kotha Colony, AMC Colony, Ayyappa Colony, and other localities has been called into doubt since the wall fell and caused flooding in the past despite the protection barrier,” he said. The party brought the issue to the attention of officials and public figures, but they did nothing. According to Venkateswarlu, the irrigation authorities claim that since the region where the wall collapsed is in Andhra territory,
Telangana monies cannot be used to restore the wall. The people of Telangana are the ones who are at risk in the event of floods, and the officials ought to understand this. He also said that the sluices in Kotha Colony and Ayyappa Colony needed to be repaired immediately.
