New canal to be dug to avoid repeat of Budameru floods

Vijayawada: Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu has said action is being taken to remove the encroachments to Budameru that caused massive flooding, and a new canal is being contemplated. There are 3051 illegal constructions in the areas surrounding Budameru, the minister said and directed officials of the Irrigation and Revenue departments to examine the possibility of laying a new canal from the Velagaleru regulator to the Enikepadu under tunnel.This is proposed via Pamulakalva and Gollapudi Lift Irrigation Canal that runs parallel to the Budameru.The Budameru is interlinked with the GPS canal that flows from Gollapudi to Mustabada and Pamulakalva at Ambapuram near Vijayawada. This would be styled as ‘Operation Budameru’, the minister said at his camp office here on Thursday.Ramanaidu asked officials to make a study on the expansion of a parallel canal from Velagaleru regulator to Enikepadu UT via Pamulakalva and the GPS canal. The old Budameru canal from Velagaleru Regulator to Enikepadu UT is flowing through residential areas.At this stage, an alternative canal that runs parallel to the Budameru from Velagaleru Regulator to Enikepadu UT via Pamulakalva and Gollapudi Lift Irrigation Canal, from Gollapudi to Mustabad, should be thought of, he said.“Then there would be a chance to divert the floodwaters from Budameru to the new canal,” he said.Later, the minister said action is being taken against 3,051 encroachments along the Budameru rivulet, mostly within the VMC limits.