The residents of the flood-prone Ramalingeswaranagar heaved a sigh of relief with the Vijayawada Irrigation Circle finalising the estimates for the construction of a flood protection wall along the Left margin of the Krishna river.
According to the estimates finalised in February, the cost of building a wall 2.10 km long and 11.25 metres high, right up to Yenamalakuduru hill, is Rs.104.62 crore.
The work included in the Krishna Delta Modernisation project has been forwarded to the Finance section for approval.
The project was approved mostly due to the efforts of Vijayawada East MLA Yalamanchili Ravi. Talking to The Hindu Mr. Ravi said that the construction of the flood protection wall would benefit 5,000 to 6,000 families living in Ramalingeswaranagar, Kotinagar and Yenamalakuduru.
These areas constitute the 14 division of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation having over 22,000 voters. It is one of the bigger civic divisions when compared to the average divisions which have only 15,000 to 18,000 votes.
Maximum discharge
The flood banks of Krishna were originally formed between 1883 and 1892 and subsequently improved from time to time. A maximum flood discharge of 11.90 lakh cusecs was recorded on October 7, 1903.
The maximum flood discharge received after construction of Prakasam Barrage was 11.10 lakh cusecs.
The right bank of Bandar Canal was originally considered the flood bank for Krishna up to Yenamalakuduru Hill where the left bank of the river actually starts.
The common bank was subsequently converted as the National Highway until the point it crosses the Bandar Canal (Skew Bridge).
The part of the flood bank that currently protects Krishnalanka area was formed in 1967-68.
The 3.38 km flood bank was formed to protect Krishnalanka, Bramarambhapuram, Dwarakanagar, Ranigarithota and Balajinagar.
More colonies developed along the margin of the river in Ramalingeswaranagar, right up to Yenamalakuduru, over four decades.
The Municipal Corporation has built a retaining wall 600 metres long to protect a drain collection sump, a 10 MGD water treatment plant and a sewage treatment plant. The retaining wall has been designed with no earth filling on the outside, according to the report.
The new wall does not overlap with this wall.
