Coastal areas are getting a raw deal with the construction of too many dams and they will face a severe water crisis if the State was divided, said P.A.R.K.Raju, professor, civil engineering, S.R.K.R. Engineering College, Bhimavaram.
Delivering a lecture on the topic “Godavari and Krishna Deltas: Hotspots for Vulnerability” at the World Earth Day meeting organised by the Institution of Engineer (India)Vijayawada Chapter, here on Monday, Prof. Raju said due to the lack of sedimentary flows at the tail-end of the river there was coastal erosion on a large scale. Coastal erosion was more in delta areas particularly the Godavari and Krishna deltas which form a complex unit.
The deltas instead of protruding into the seas were being eroded because water which usually carries sediment was not reaching the river mouth because of the large number of dams. The soils of the river deltas that were usually fertile were becoming degraded because of sea water incursion. Ground water was becoming saline in several places and even the surface water was becoming saline in a few places, Prof. Raju said. The delta would get ruined if this trend was not reversed, he said. He said even the politics in the State was against the coastal areas. There was bound to be disputes because after bifurcation the reservoirs would be in one State, the dam sites and command areas would be in another.
The bifurcation would create several interstate projects and each one of them has the potential of becoming a Babli, he said. Local chapter chairman P.Ravindra Babu presided.
