The long-awaited plan to modernise the decades-old Gollapadu Channel criss-crossing the core areas of the town has once again come under spotlight at a time when monsoon is set to gain pace.
The channel, that served as a key irrigation source a couple of decades ago, has turned into a virtual dumping yard over the years exposing people living in its vicinity to potential health hazards.
The channel is choked with mounds of garbage and thick growth of vegetation at various stretches of the watercourse spread across densely populated residential localities particularly in three-town area under the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) limits.
Efforts by the KMC to desilt the channel in certain localities notwithstanding, it presents a pathetic picture of utter neglect, posing grave threat to public health ahead of peak monsoon season.
The KMC has drawn up a plan to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify the most vulnerable points to get the canals rid of garbage and weeds besides constructing cement concrete slabs along the channel to prevent accumulation of garbage and other trash.
The survey will also come out with specific suggestions to remove encroachments along the channel and appropriate rehabilitation plans, sources said. A survey will be launched in the next few days to devise a comprehensive plan to modernise the Gollapadu channel, said Municipal Engineer Ranjith.
The modernisation plan would be formulated in consultation with all stakeholders to revive the Gollapadu channel, he told The Hindu , when contacted.
