New capital Runs Flood Risk
New Delhi: Scientists and experts have warned that having a riverfront capital for Andhra Pradesh on both banks of the Krishna River, without proper geological and related scientific studies, could lead to a repeat of Srinagar like flooding of the proposed capital.
Interestingly, the maps 1 in a 100 year flood event of Krishna and Inundation Areas’, prepared by AP State Remote Sensing Application Centre, reveal that several mandals like Tullur, Tadepalli, Amaravati on Guntur side and Kanchikacharla, Vijayawada rural and Ibrahimpatnam mandals in Krishna side on the banks of River Krishna are marked blue, denoting prone to inundation. Indian Institute of Science Divecha Centre for Climate Change chairman Dr J. Srinivasan said, “In the past few years there is a pattern of recurring errant weather with sudden heavy rainfall, due to which water discharges into the rivers are high. The river may change its course temporarily causing heavy flooding. Krishna River is no exception. So before going for a riverfront capital, the AP government should go for detailed geological studies on how river Krishna behaved in the past century.”
Scientists have advised the AP government to take the help of NGRI for these studies. NGRI scientist R. K. Chadha said, “Temporary change of river flow is called meandering. Weather processes like abnormal rainfall can result in this.”
However, the latest available AP Disaster Management Plan says, “The Godavari and the Krishna rivers have well-defined stable courses.
Dismissing apprehension, irrigation department deputy superintendent of Vijayawada D. Ramakrishna said, “In the past 10 years we haven’t seen any change in the course of the Krishna. Nothing happened to the centuries-old mandals on the banks of River Krishna so far.”
DC
