GUNTUR: In Guntur city, even a brief spell of rain is enough to throw life out of gear. Overflowing sewage canals flood the roads, with key junctions like Kankaragunta RUB and Mudu Vantenalu routinely turning into waterlogged stretches.
Determined to find a permanent fix, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communication Pemmasani Chandrasekhar has pushed for the construction of a dedicated stormwater drain network. Officials estimate the project will cost around Rs 70 crore, with groundwork for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) already underway.
Consultants are expected to arrive within the next couple of days to take the plan forward, according to Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) officials.
Recently, Pemmasani held discussions with the State Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister P Narayana on Guntur’s comprehensive development. MLAs Md Naseer Ahmed, Galla Madhavi, and Burla Rama Anjaneyulu were also present.
In the meeting, Pemmasani suggested halting the Rs 48-crore Inner Ring Road works temporarily, and instead diverting resources toward building a stormwater drain alongside it, bringing the total proposed investment to Rs 128 crore.
He emphasised that such an integrated approach would help ease traffic woes in Guntur’s suburban areas. The MAUD Minister is said to have responded positively to the proposal.
Guntur currently has about 108 km of major sewage canals, and 1,474 km of minor drains. Its decades-old underground drainage system, stretching over 150 km, is no longer adequate. Although a new Rs 903-crore underground drainage project covering 1,083 km is underway, the city still faces chaos every monsoon.
The mismatch between drain flow capacity and outlet strength at several locations is seen as a major reason for the recurring floods. With officials now focusing on a comprehensive solution, the proposed stormwater drain plan is being viewed as a crucial step toward ending Guntur’s long-standing waterlogging nightmare.