VIJAYAWADA: Discharge of untreated sewage into Budameru Canal through drains continues to be a major concern for farmers and residents. Though they made several appeals to the authorities concerned and people’s representatives, no action has been taken so far.Due to inordinate delay in clearing water hyacinth and waste piled up in the canal, pollution levels have increased, residents alleged. Mosquito menace is rampant in Ramakrishnapuram, Vijayadurga Nagar, Madhura Nagar, Karmika Nagar and Devi Nagar which are situated on the banks of the canal.
“The dumping of household waste into the canal channel by residents has been going on for several months now. Though the issue was taken to the notice of the sanitary inspector, it was of no use,’’ said Pasupleti Raju, a resident of Ayodhya Nagar. Steps should be taken by the civic officials to prevent eateries and roadside food stall vendors from dumping waste into the canals by imposing hefty penalties, he added.
According to VMC officials, Budameru Canal starts from Mylavaram and flows for 37 km through Vijayawada and ends near Ventrapragada village. The Budameru Canal channel passing through 11 km approximately in the city has been posing a serious threat to the residents of Bhavanipuram, Ajit Singh Nagar, Ayodhya Nagar, Payakapuram, Madhura Nagar and Kanaka Durga Nagar during monsoon with the increase in water levels in the canal.
In February 2020, the civic officials came up with the concept of developing greenery and beautifying the canal bunds of Budameru at an estimated cost of Rs 15 crore. Works in this regard are proposed to be executed from Budameru Development Fund in two phases—Rajarajeswaripet-Ayodhya Nagar (Budameru Bridge-Reach-1) and Devi Nagar-Gunadala (Reach-2). However, due to various reasons, the proposed works on the canal banks are yet to materialise in a full-fledged manner. Another major problem is indiscriminate dumping and burning of waste on the banks of the canal.
Garbage, mostly plastic waste, is dumped on roadside and is set on fire frequently triggering health issues in the localities situated on the banks of the canal.“Apart from polluting the environment, the smoke billowing out of the burning garbage affects the visibility of motorists who use the road. Poor visibility can lead to accidents on the narrow road stretch leading to New Rajarajeswaripeta. Roadside eateries and fruit stall vendors are also polluting the environment by dumping waste,” rued N Joseph Babu, a resident of Ramakrishnapuram.