Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Airport de-flooding project misses deadline

Delicate task: Dredging operation under way in the Meghadrigedda surplus course as part of the works to prevent flooding of the airport.

VISAKHAPATNAM: The project taken up to prevent flooding of the Visakhapatnam Airport is delayed owing to problems that cropped up in dredging. The Rs.76-crore project was launched after the airport and its surroundings were flooded in 2005 and 2006. Since then the airport’s operations have been expanded with aircraft landing up to 8 p.m. The new terminal building of the airport is scheduled for opening by December.

The channelisation of Meghadrigedda surplus course and Kondagedda that lead to the flooding of the airport was taken up one and a half years ago following recommendations of the Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) after an initiative was taken by the State Government to prevent the flooding. The work should have been completed by September 2008. But the problems encountered in dredging the Meghadrigedda course are leading to the delay, according to sources. Now the work may stretch up to June.

The dredging has been taken up towards end of the Meghadrigedda course near the parallel bridge. The Kondagedda course also joins it there. Excavation work on both the canals, each about 6.7 km in length, has almost been completed, according to officials. The Meghadrigedda course has a bed width of about 140 m and Kondagedda 30 m.

The natural course of the two streams was affected owing to encroachments along and years of silting. Now after model studies, a bed-level has been designed for the channels. About 6 lakh cubic metres of dredging needed to be done to connect the course with the designed bed level to the Port Channel leading to the sea.

The agency that got the work hired a dredger from the Irrigation Department from Dowlaiswaram.

The contractor has been citing difficulty in accelerating the work. The pace was sluggish as the roots of mangroves that have been cut at the place are hampering movement. “Once it gets into the groove, the going may improve. But owing to rains and the slush it may take a while for that to happen,” said an Irrigation Department official.

Meanwhile, as a temporary measure, to prevent flooding at the airport this year, a large quantum of water flowing in Kondagedda has been diverted to Meghadrigedda, he said. Kondagedda is largely a drain that carries water from NAD, Vimannagar and from some other parts of the city.

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