RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: After years of waiting, repeated assurances and stalled works, the long-cherished dream of the residents of Tadepalligudem municipal town for a proper underground drainage system is finally set to become a reality.
The Municipal Administration Department has given the green signal to resume the long-pending Underground Drainage (UGD) system and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) works in the town, sanctioning ₹88.18 crore under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme. The works are expected to begin by the end of February.
Tadepalligudem, an important commercial hub in West Godavari district, has long struggled with inadequate civic infrastructure despite rapid urban growth. In the absence of a scientific sewerage system and a functional STP, the town has been plagued by overflowing drains, sewage stagnation and heaps of untreated waste.
During the monsoon, several low-lying localities are routinely submerged, turning daily life into a struggle for residents and posing serious public health risks.
The UGD project was first launched in 2009 in Tadepalligudem Municipality at an estimated cost of ₹61.50 crore. Roads across the town were dug up to lay pipelines, causing prolonged inconvenience to residents. Although works worth around ₹28.50 crore were completed and household connections were in progress, the project came to a standstill following elections and a change in government.
For years thereafter, the partially completed project remained neglected. A critical component of the UGD system is the Sewage Treatment Plant, without which the network cannot function. About 3.98 acres of land were earlier allotted at Yanadula Colony near Kadakatla for the STP, and construction was taken up at a cost of ₹32.14 crore. However, the work was abandoned midway after bills were not cleared during the previous regime.
As a result, untreated sewage has been directly discharged into the Eluru canal, leading to environmental pollution and affecting farmers downstream. Overflowing drains and stagnant sewage have also contributed to the spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and typhoid, causing frequent health concerns in the town.