Vijayawada: In a move to contain floods in the capital city area, Amaravati Development Corporation Limited (ADCL) has decided to take up another lift irrigation scheme near Undavalli. The new scheme will come up adjacent to the existing lift irrigation scheme and the project is being taken up following the advice of World Bank and ADB.
Flood mitigation in the capital city area has been a big challenge for the authorities ever since Amaravati was picked as the capital city. Initially, the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) constructed a lift irrigation scheme with 5,000 cusecs capacity to lift flood waters from Kondaveeti vaagu (stream) during the monsoon season. The lift was constructed near Prakasam barrage, almost at the end of the stream. After closely studying the rivulets and streams that have been passing through the capital city area, the World Bank and ADB suggested various flood mitigation measures.
In fact, international lending agencies insisted on the capital city authorities to first set their focus on mitigation of flood from Kondaveeti vaagu, kottella vaagu and Palavaagu. Kondaveeti vaagu, the largest of the three streams, travels around 29 km from its originating point and moves through the capital city area before merging in Krishna river near head regulator in Undavalli. Palavaagu and Kotella vaagu will meet Kondaveeti vaagu in the middle. All the three streams used to cause havoc in the capital city during the monsoon as they are capable of inundating majority of the area when they are in full stream. The world bank and ADB wanted the capital city agencies to complete the flood mitigation projects ahead of completion of the major infrastructure projects. They said that flood flow may completely destroy the new projects. The WB and ADB executives felt that the existing lift irrigation scheme is inadequate to handle flood at its full stream.
Taking the suggestions made by WB and ADB on a serious note, ADCL has decided to take up another lift irrigation scheme with 7,350 cusecs pumping capacity.
Flood mitigation in the capital city area has been a big challenge for the authorities ever since Amaravati was picked as the capital city. Initially, the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) constructed a lift irrigation scheme with 5,000 cusecs capacity to lift flood waters from Kondaveeti vaagu (stream) during the monsoon season. The lift was constructed near Prakasam barrage, almost at the end of the stream. After closely studying the rivulets and streams that have been passing through the capital city area, the World Bank and ADB suggested various flood mitigation measures.
In fact, international lending agencies insisted on the capital city authorities to first set their focus on mitigation of flood from Kondaveeti vaagu, kottella vaagu and Palavaagu. Kondaveeti vaagu, the largest of the three streams, travels around 29 km from its originating point and moves through the capital city area before merging in Krishna river near head regulator in Undavalli. Palavaagu and Kotella vaagu will meet Kondaveeti vaagu in the middle. All the three streams used to cause havoc in the capital city during the monsoon as they are capable of inundating majority of the area when they are in full stream. The world bank and ADB wanted the capital city agencies to complete the flood mitigation projects ahead of completion of the major infrastructure projects. They said that flood flow may completely destroy the new projects. The WB and ADB executives felt that the existing lift irrigation scheme is inadequate to handle flood at its full stream.
Taking the suggestions made by WB and ADB on a serious note, ADCL has decided to take up another lift irrigation scheme with 7,350 cusecs pumping capacity.
