VISAKHAPATNAM: Waterman of India and founder of Jal Biradiri Rajendra Singh on Monday said owing to negligence of the municipal authorities, Mudasarlova reservoir was going dry despite having a good source of fresh water from Simhachalam and Kambalakonda hill ranges.Addressing mediapersons, Singh, who concluded his three-day visit to water bodies across North Andhra, said though these hill ranges, with lush green vegetation, are capable of providing copious supply of fresh water of a high quality, the civic authorities allowed these valuable sources to lose value.
During the field visit to catchment areas, he said that it was found that all outlets were fully blocked and they should be cleared immediately. He said water was not flowing into the reservoir due to quarrying in upstream of these tributaries, the wall built by the Devasthanam and the underground electricity cabling. He said it was necessary to redesign some of the existing outlets and provide new outlets to permit maximum quantity of water crossing the main Arilova Road into the reservoir.
Singh said large-scale dumping of waste is taking place on the north-west of Mudasarlova. This should be shifted as some of the waste material is entering water inflows into the reservoir. There is heavy traffic movement on the roads encompassing the reservoir on the west and the north. It should be restricted immediately, he said. There was no alternative to providing a sewage treatment plant for purifying the water flowing into the reservoir and a sewage treatment plant should be set up before the next monsoon, he said.
The Waterman of India said, “I along with former secretary of energy EAS Sarma, national convener of Jal Biradiri and others activists from Karnataka and Chennai also visited Lakkavarapu Kota, Kalyanalova dam and Chillapeta tank in Tagarapuvalasa and Gostani river in the past three days.”He said he was pained to see the condition of the Chillapeta tank. The government was planning to beautify it by spending `12 crore.
He urged the State government not to waste money to concretise the bund and beautifying it. Instead the money should be spent on preventing the sewer entering into it and demolish all the illegal encroachments and restore its water channels to regain the image of Bheemili, the oldest municipality of this country, he said. Singh said in the name of development at Simhachalam, the authorities have taken several retrograde steps that affect water flows. He said there was immediate necessary to hold a water flow audit.