SRIKAKULAM: State government has given administrative sanction to take up repairs to apron and flood banks of Gotta Barrage across river Vamsadhara with an estimated cost of Rs 16 crore.
The officials have been preparing the ground to begin modernisation and repairing works of the damaged portion of the downstream apron and flood banks that have been neglected for years.
Vamsadhara River is the major and longest river for Srikakulam district.
The state government built Gotta barrage, which can irrigate at least 2.10 lakh acres (LMC and RMC) across 19 mandals in the district, at Gotta village in Hiramandalam mandal.
The project officials have completed the BRR Vamsadhara Project Stage-1 (Gotta barrage) works in 1977, which comprises a length of 104.825 km Left Main Canal (LMC) with 900 shutters and 200 structures on main, branch and distributaries canals. The project officials have completed the structures and other works. Later, the successive governments have failed to perform either modern or major repair works over the past 50 years. As a result, the project was in a dilapidated stage.
Especially, the stone apron at the downstream of the barrage severely damaged and caused inundation of the nearby farmlands of the river. Supply of the water to the tail-end farmlands not possible due to leakages.
Speaking to TNIE, Vamsadhara project superintending engineer (SE) Ramachandrarao said the state government has recently given administrative sanction to take up repairing works to downstream apron and flood banks of Gotta Barrage and efforts are on to take up the works.