Operation Budameru to Remove Encroachments and Focus on Working Out Alternative Solutions

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is aiming to clear Budameru stream through ‘Operation Budameru’ from encroachments to protect Vijayawada and surroundings from flood inundation. A detailed survey of Budameru stream will be carried under which encroachments would be identified and the government will take action on the basis of the survey report.

It may be recalled that during Budameru stream flooding in Vijayawada city and adjacent areas, CM Naidu vastly toured the flood affected areas for half a dozen times, interacted with the flood victims, reviewed the situation and got insights of Budameru floods causes.

After the recent incessant rains, Budameru flood inundated 40% of the city, affecting about 2.5 lakh families for more than one week, CM Naidu announced about conducting of survey along Budameru. He said that lakhs of people are suffering because of the selfishness of a few individuals, who encroached on the Budameru. He claimed that the negligence of the previous YSRC government which abandoned modernisation works to increase discharge capacity, the encroachments in the city and downstream of Vijayawada to Kolleru also contributed to the flood, he said.

Chandrababu Naidu said that a comprehensive survey will be conducted along Budameru till its destination point. He said that this should be the last flood in Vijayawada and the state govt will take all measures to ensure that this kind of situation will not repeat ever. CM Naidu affirmed "The state government will act tough against the encroachers. A stringent legislation will be put in place for the removal of encroachments in the rivulet," he said.

Originating from the hills of Mylavaram, Budameru empties into the Kolleru Lake. Several streams join it on the way. At Velagaleru near Vijayawada, a barrage with 11 locks impounds water if the flow is sluggish. The rivulet is not a tributary of the Krishna River, but a part of the Kolleru basin. Besides the encroachments on its floodplains, human greed has shrunk the Kolleru Lake as well, forcing water to occupy the space that originally belonged to it. Former chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy tried to reclaim the encroached property but did not succeed.

The Budameru diversion channel, constructed in 2006-07, could not rise to the occasion this time. The channel was to take the Budameru flood into the 37,500-cusec-capacity Polavaram Right Canal which finally empties into the Krishna.

According to the officials, Operation Budameru will focus on working out alternative solutions for increasing the discharge capacity in case of flash floods, apart from the removal of encroachments. Enhancement of flood discharge capacity of the diversion channel, building a reservoir with 20 tmc ft capacity downstream of Pulichintala project, and launching a clean-up drive to remove encroachments.

NTR district collector Dr G Srijana stated that the government is determined to remove all encroachments along the Budameru stream without causing unnecessary trouble to anyone. She further said that the officials were instructed to submit the survey numbers necessary for executing ‘Operation Budameru.' Srijana added that in addition to removing encroachments, desilting the Budameru stream is essential to increase the flood-carrying capacity of the Budameru. She further added that work to strengthen the Budameru Diversion Channel (BDC) embankment to prevent future breaches is progressing at a brisk pace. (ilyas)