Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam , Oct. 23

A COMPREHENSIVE plan to prevent the flooding of the airport and the several low-lying areas has been prepared by the district administration in consultation with the officials of the municipal corporation, the port trust and the railways.

The Rajya Sabha member and the TTD Chairman, Mr T. Subbarami Reddy, announced the various components of the plan at a press conference he addressed along with District Collector, Mr Praveen Prakash here on Friday evening.

A sum of Rs 40 crore would be spent on preventing the inundation of the airport. At present, the Meghadrigedda canal could discharge only 2,000 cusecs of water into the sea and, if the excess water was not let out, several villages would face submersion. An amount of Rs 25 crore would be spent on improving the Meghadrigedda discharge system.

Water from a stream from Simhachalam side was also finding its way into the airport area. An additional Rs 15 crore would be spent on channelising the water from it. "This will totally prevent the flooding of the airport and its surroundings," Mr Subbarami Reddy said.

Port to take up culverts: To prevent the inundation of Gnanapuram and other low-lying areas, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust would convert six culverts into box type drains. To complete the work, the port would spend its share of Rs 9 crore for this year and an equal amount for the next year. The work was expected to be completed in one-and-a-half years, he added.

To deal with the flooding caused by Yerrigedda (a stream) in Gnanapuram and other areas, the Municipal Corporation of Visakhapatnam (MCV) would take up restoration work. The 6.2-km stream would be lined with concrete and converted into a storm water drain at a cost of Rs 25 crore.

The Divisional Railway Manager, Waltair, Mr S.V. Arya, said the railways would co-operate with the local administration to prevent flooding in various parts of the city.

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