As Polavaram works pick up pace, Bhadrachalam people in the grip of flood fear

KHAMMAM: At a time when the construction of the Polavaram project, a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari river, is progressing at a brisk pace, the residents of Bhadrachalam fear that the temple town may get submerged.

According to sources, the residents have been worried about losing their houses and land for the past several months after it was rumoured that the Ramalayam, Bhadrachalam town and nearby villages would be affected once the Polavaram project comes up. The temple town has a population of around 70,000 and houses thousands of buildings, including government offices.

It maybe recalled that an expert committee that visited Bhadrachalam last year too had warned the State government about the possible submersion of the town.With this, several locals have started erecting ‘for sale’ boards in front of their properties in a bid to migrate and resettle in other places. 

However, the locals feel like they are trapped in a maze as this plan of selling properties has not been working out as expected due to the collapse of real estate sector in the town. Though real estate was strong here, realtors stopped investing in Bhadrachalam town following the news of a possible submergence.

In the meantime, Express spoke to an executive engineer in the Irrigation Department to get technical clarity on this. He said, if the Andhra Pradesh government maintains Polavaram’s full tank level (FTL) at 45.72 metres, the water level in Godavari at Bhadrachalam during the months of July and August will be 43 feet, which is the first danger-level. “If a sudden flood like the one in 1986 happens again, there would be a massive loss of lives and properties,” he said.

Meanwhile, N Mallikarjuna Rao, a retired irrigation engineer, also expressed a similar fear and told this newspaper that if the officials fail to ensure a proper mechanism, the repercussions would be catastrophic.
In the meantime, former BJP MLC Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy has written to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), requesting it to take necessary steps to protect the temple town. 

S Venkateswara Rao, a retired superintendent engineer, said that the only way by which the authorities can save Bhadrachalam from inundation is if and only if they pump the drainage water and backwater into Godavari properly during the time of floods. If not, he said, the temple town would be submerged.