Can Kurnool be saved from future floods?

Udumula Sudhakar Reddy/Kurnool

Can kurnool be saved from future floods and massive destruction? Experts and eminent citizens of the city say that government has to take tough and apolitical stand on encroachments of the river bed of Handri and Tungabadhra.The KC canal that also runs in the mid of the town apart from Handri has no space even for carrying out repair works.Retired Executive Engineer of Irrigation department of Kurnool who was the pioneer of Sunkeshula Dam construction Mr K Krishna Reddy says ,”The riverbed of Handri that passes in the city was encroached from Old Kallur to Bandimetta at the stretch of 4 km and KC Canal though not related to the latest floods was encroached from Bangarupea to NH7 and even repairs can be carried as there is no space for vehicle movement on the bund. The tungabadra was encroached from mamidalapadu to Saibaba temple. These encroachments were sponsored by the political leaders and there efforts to remove them are halted,”Experts say the flood protection wall has to be taken up on Handri river and to be strengthened on Tungbadra.Though government approved the flood protection wall in 2007 and it didn’t realise due to the legal tangles.Mr I Vijay Kumar Reddy of Kurnool chamber of commerce says ,”they are sitting on the construction of flood wall for the past two years. It shall be taken upon war footing. Shifting all those near the river bed is no solution,”Even MLA TG Venkatesh and others houses in upper class Prakash Nagar are situated near Tunagabadra river.Dr KG Reddy a noted urologist says ,”some of these colonies are 500 years old. But they have to be shifted and rehabilitated,”The former Chief Minister Mr Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy memorial is on the banks of Handri and it is submerge during low intensity floods too often.Irrigation expert Mr Krishna Reddy said ,”It was the heavy rainfall much above than expected by meteorological department has resulted in this heavy floods. Tungabadhra dam can only accommodate 5.25 lakh cusecs. If it exceeds it creates havoc. It rained heavily in all catchments areas of Krishna and Handri in Kurnool and Mahabubnagar apart from that coming from Karnataka,”