14-05-2025
Complete Budameru retaining wall works before June 10, Nimmala tells officials
Water Resources Department Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said that the construction works of the retaining wall for the protection of Budameru embankment would commence soon. The Minister, along with Mylavaram MLA Vasanta Krishna Prasad and others, visited the Budameru area on Wednesday.
After inspection, he directed officials and contractors to immediately begin construction work and complete the retaining wall by June 10, before the start of the rainy season. He also instructed them to deploy additional machinery and resources for timely completion. Proposals have been prepared to expand the Budameru Diversion Canal's capacity to 37,500 cusecs and complete the remaining works to permanently protect Vijayawada from Budameru floods, he said.
Plans are also under way to channel Budameru floodwaters via Enikepadu towards Kolleru and Upputeru into the sea. A detailed project report (DPR) for this is under preparation. Additionally, a new parallel channel with a capacity of 20,000 cusecs is being planned alongside the old Budameru channel. To control Budameru floods, proposals have been prepared under the Disaster Management framework with support from the Central Government, he added.
During the previous monsoon, heavy rains caused a sudden flood, breaching the Budameru embankment at three points, leading to flooding in Vijayawada. Emergency repairs were undertaken immediately, even amidst heavy rains, to fill the breaches and prevent further flooding of the city. Now, to provide a permanent safety against Budameru flooding and prevent inundation of Vijayawada, a retaining wall is being constructed covering the three previously breached points, he explained.
ENC M. Venkateswara Rao, and project engineers were also present.
