As houses still inundated, restoration works moves with snail space

In a first-ever painstaking task after the formation of the organization, the officials of the Irrigation Department swung into action to take up restoration works of broken bunds in and around the city that causes flood in several areas across water bodies.

However, the restoration works at many places are moving at a snail pace and the focus is obviously seen only at water bodies that suffered severe damages like a breach in bunds.

It is said that the officials have sought funds to the tune of Rs.4148.5 Lakhs to take up restoration works which only emergency repair works at some places were put in place to restore the breaches.

As per the official record, there are a total of 14 water bodies in and around the city that receive breaches due to floods. Brahmana Kunta, Brahman Cheruvu, Appa Cheruvu, Palle Cheruvu, Mamidla Kunta, ErraKunta, and Gurrum Cheruvu are among the water bodies where bunds are completely breached. Among them Most Brahmana Kunta, Brahman Cheruvu, and Appa Cheruvu fall under the Rajendranagar area while Palle Cheruvu shares the area boundaries with Bandlaguda of Chandrayanguda.

The officials of the irrigation department took up restoration work at Appa Cheruvu at Gagan Pahad and completed it on a war footing. The lake – that spreads over 40 acres of area, developed a breach on 13^th October causing a flood in nearby areas leaving 5 people dead, 4 from a single-family, and a few are still feared missing.

There are two other ponds that received breaches like Brahmana Cheruvu and Brahman Kunta in the area interconnected with the Appa Cheruvu. Brahmana Cheruvu spreads over 35 acres of the area while Brahman Kunta flows over 12 acres of area forming a serpentine curve in the area largely known as a water grid.

Out of these three water bodies, only the bund at Appa Cheruvu was restored while two of the other ponds are still brimmed and flowing calmly after causing mayhem on the 13^th of October last month.

However, works of one more lake at Balapur in the Barkas area also being taken up where the bund has developed a breach on the intervening night of 13^th October causing a deluge in nearby areas.

There are a total of 14 lakes in and around the city that suffered breaches. Another six water bodies were crammed and are still in critical stages. Similar damage has caused sluices, bunds, and weirs in 90 lakes and ponds that resulted in the inundation of hundreds of houses in several affected colonies.