As the incessant rains cast a threat of floods over the kharif operations across the district, the ayacut farmers are restive over the reported indifference on the part of the government in giving a facelift to the Tammileru river. A peasant leader from Jalipudi village under Eluru mandal submitted a petition to Collector Siddharth Jain with a request to take steps for strengthening of the bunds of the Tammileru on a war-footing.
The petition expressed serious concern over the alleged failure by the administration to even plug the breaches the river has suffered at Y.S.R. Colony and Agricultural market yard during the floods last year. An extent of 6,000 acres of paddy fields in Madepalli, Jalipudi and Sriparru is under the threat of inundation on account of non-filling of the breaches, Mr. Bose said.
The river bunds for a stretch of 2 km. from Y.S.R. Colony to Sriparru causeway were in a bad condition. The river suffered breaches four times since 2004 because of the bunds in a bad condition, he said while highlighting the need for construction of a protection wall along the stretch. Raghuram, Divisional Engineer of the Irrigation Department, said a proposal for a facelift to the Tammileru river with an estimated cost of Rs. 43 crore was under government’s consideration. The proposal includes construction of a retaining wall for a stretch of 7.8 km. from the east locks to Sriparru causeway and a similar wall from Kothuru causeway to Sriparru cause for a distance of 3.2 km.
Thickets of high-rise weed all along the course turns into a stumbling block for free flow of water and a strain on the bunds.
The Divisional Engineer, Headworks of the Nagireddygudem reservoir, informed that the government was also exploring possibilities to secure financial assistance from overseas agencies for modernisation of the Headworks and the Left and the Right main canals of the Tammileru.
The proposal was awaited administrative approval from the Central Water Commissioner, he added. One canal of the river runs into the Krishna district while the other into West Godavari district.
