Water Bodies in Visakhapatnam in an Existential Crisis

 Visakhapatnam: The water bodies in Visakhapatnam are not just facing degradation, but are in an existential crisis.

Environmentalists say they are heavily silted, overrun by invasive species, illegally fenced, and being encroached upon and converted into plots.

According to the Water Users Associations (WUAs) data, the GVMC had 105 farm ponds in Pendurthi, 14 in Gajuwaka, 172 in Anandapuram, 63 in Bheemili and 128 in Padmanabhapuram.

Shockingly, only 16 ponds have minimum water, highlighting the urgent need for action.

Environmentalist Bolisetty Satyanarayana, who is also general secretary of the Jana Sena, has highlighted the severe impact of unplanned urbanisation on these water bodies. "Urban water bodies and their drains have become casualties of unplanned urbanisation, facing threats of encroachment, sewage disposal, groundwater decline, lack of administrative framework and insufficient community participation," he said.

In July 2024, the Citizens' Forum here organised a talk titled ‘Vizag's endangered water bodies and how communities can save and revive them’. The discussions highlighted the city’s rich water ecosystem.

The Survey of India, in 1970, identified 179 water bodies in the GVMC limits.

According to the toposheet of the Survey of India, the GVMC encompasses 179 water bodies. As many as 115 have an updated status while 40 require immediate restoration. This underscores the crucial role of the community in preserving and reviving these vital resources.

In the GVMC, there are 98 wards divided into eight zones. The adverse impact of urbanisation is evident as Zones 3, 4 and 5 lack any water bodies even as these together cover a significant portion of the city.

While water bodies are well-known, springs are also vital water sources. A spring is a natural point where groundwater flows from an aquifer to the earth's surface, influenced by gravity and hydrostatic pressure.

Satyanarayana says, “Visakhapatnam is losing its unique features, including springs in the hills of Simhachalam, Kambalakonda and Yarada.”

The GVMC covers these hill ranges, which host several springs forming spring sheds. However, activities like stone quarrying, sand mining, deforestation and changes in land use due to erratic rainfall have limited rainwater infiltration, drying up springs and reducing stream flows.

Environmentalists say that in the past, there were over 18 springs in the Simhachalam Hills, but now locals see only a few such as Gangadhara, Naagadhara and Saagidhara, which are nearly perennial.