The Andhra government on Monday sanctioned Rs 125 crore for the completion of the retaining wall along the Krishna river bund in Vijayawada. The long-awaited wall is intended to prevent flooding in the low-lying areas in the city situated along the Krishna river.
Repeated floods in the Krishna river last year affected low-lying areas in and around the Krishnalanka area in Vijayawada, including Rani Gari Thota, Tarakarama Nagar, and Ramalingeswara Nagar. Many families suffered due to loss or damage to their belongings and repeated evacuations, with some of them even losing their thatched roof homes and being displaced.
The retaining wall, which could shield the residents from flood waters, is said to have been proposed in 2009, which was the last time that the city was flooded so severely. In spite of longstanding demands, the wall has only been partially completed so far. A long stretch from Ramalingeswaranagar continuing up to Rani Gari Thota and beyond is yet to be completed. Due to breaches in the structure of the wall, even the areas where the wall has been built were submerged. The long-delayed construction work was started by the previous TDP government but was left midway due to shortage of funds.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botsa Satyanarayana said that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had instructed officials to complete the work on the retaining wall, in order to safeguard Krishnalanka and other wards in the region from submersion during floods.
Announcing the sanction of Rs 125 crore for completing the wall, Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said, “If needed, the government is ready to allocate even more,” adding that the CM is keen on developing Vijayawada city
The Krishna River -- which originates in Maharashtra and traverses through Karnataka and Andhra before draining into the Bay of Bengal -- saw heavy floods in 2019, starting in August and recurring a few times after that. Heavy rainfalls in Maharashtra and Karnataka forced dam authorities to open the gates, resulting in flooding downstream of the river.