Visakhapatnam: Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has started removing silt from its various canals and trenches, particularly from Gollalapalem, Sriharipuram and Ram Nagar.
On Thursday, GVMC commissioner C.M. Saikant Verma, accompanied by Visakhapatnam West constituency MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu (Ganababu) and GVMC officials, inspected the trenches and canals.
It is an annual practice of the corporation to start clearing sewage from trenches and main canals of Visakhapatnam in May, involving an expenditure of ₹7 crore to ₹9 crore. Due to the elections, silt removal work had got delayed, leading to build up of sewage in Gollalapalem (Zone 5 Sriharipuram) and trenches and canals in Ram Nagar.
During the inspection, MLA Ganababu said HPCL is the primary contributor of waste in Gollalapalem and Ram Nagar canals. He maintained that waste outlets from Visakha refinery and Coromandel industries have not been appropriately designed. Consequently, water flow from hilly areas due to storms and rains, causes overflow in canals and trenches, rendering streets and roads impassable.
The MLA asked the GVMC commissioner to expeditiously address this issue, as it could otherwise lead to rapid spread of seasonal diseases, adversely affecting public health.
