The revenue officials have initiated an enumeration exercise on the shrinking Gangineni Cheruvu in Chittoor, considered the prime source for recharge of groundwater, as part of a drive to remove encroachments along the supply channels of the water body.
The 46-acre Gangineni Cheruvu has shrunk to half its size in the last ten years.
Spread between Chittoor rural village and Greamspet locality, the water body abutting the Chittoor-Vellore highway has fallen prey to large-scale encroachment of the tank bed and its banks. With supply channels cut off from the side of the local reserve forest and the slopes surrounding the Collectorate road, coupled with lifting of earth for construction activities, the water body went dry several years ago.
Chittoor Tahsildar Siva Kumar said that Gangineni Cheruvu was among the percolation tanks in Survey Number 688 that could recharge groundwater table of Chittoor municipality.
“Some portion of it has been encroached over years. In view of depletion of groundwater to more than 1,000 feet, our priority now is to protect the water body and rejuvenate its supply channels,” he said.
The official said two surveyors and four village revenue officers had been entrusted with the enumeration of encroachments and identification of the dwellers, before initiating further steps of possible eviction.
Meanwhile, it is observed that as many as 200 illegal constructions had come up on the encroached portion of the water body.
Several of those who had constructed houses in the tank area had been rehabilitated a decade ago on the town outskirts, with pucca housing.
With no tangible steps from the officials for either removal of encroachments or stopping the land grab further, a large stretch of it has become safe haven for realtors . Those who were benefited with government housing schemes had rented their houses and returned to their houses in the tank bed, it is learnt.
In view of depletion of groundwater to more than 1,000 feet, our priority now is to protect the water body and rejuvenate its supply channels
Siva Kumar,Chittoor Tahsildar
