Amaravati could go Chennai way

HYDERABAD: The Chennai ecological disaster has begun to cast its long shadow on Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. Experts are now beginning to think that after all it was not a great idea to locate the new capital in the delta region.

Amaravati will be on the right bank of the river Krishna and the problem is much of the new capital will be located on land that was crisscrossed by the river earlier. Almost all rivers change their course over decades. Though the river shifts, it leaves below 'paleochannels' where water flows below the surface. In the event of heavy rains, there is the threat of land subsidence and these places are also prone to flooding.

The AP capital will be built up in an area covering over 33,000 acres. The loss of greenery in what is essentially rich farmland and its concretization will lead to an ecological disaster, warn experts.

"The Chennai deluge should serve as an eye-opener. Chennai has been flooded because natural waterways like rivers were allowed to be obstructed by indiscriminate constructions. The government should utilise high resolution satellite imagery data to pinpoint the floodplains and paleochannels in Amaravati before taking up the construction of the mega city," says Srikonda Ramesh, dean of studies and head of the department of architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Vijayawada.

Ramesh suggests that the area in the vicinity of the paleochannels should be left vacant and developed into a greenbelt or open pathways. "No construction should be allowed over the paleochannels and they should be left free for the groundwater to recharge," he adds.

Alok Kumar, a scientist with the Geological Survey of India (GSI), also stresses that paleochannels should be left untouched. Kumar, who conducted a study on the sudden formation of sinkholes in Kadapa district following heavy rains last month, points out that the area should be thoroughly examined geologically before building large structures.

Chennai with three rivers and the Buckingham canal could not take the torrential downpour, thanks to encroachments and haphazard growth of the city. Amaravati, on the other hand, has only one river and the Krishna western main canal. If the new capital city grows as projected, it will not be able to absorb more than 20 cm of rainfall in a day. The outfall drains from Amaravati into the Krishna will be unable to empty themselves as the river itself will be in spate during monsoon.

Until very recently, the new capital’s planners preferred talk of fibre-optic connectivity to disaster-preparedness. Chennai’s flooding has changed the conversation, yet Amaravati’s boosters brush off the risks. They say that dams downriver can be opened to protect their field of dreams. Planning for a once-in-a-century disaster does not win votes. E.A.S. Sarma, a retired bureaucrat with a reputation for probity, says they treat risks “flippantly”. He points to new research that has located underground “paleochannels” that route excess water in times of stress. Current plans to dig the foundations for Amaravati ignore them.

The failure of Chennai’s master plan ought to teach Amaravati’s planners that institutions are crucial. A city can be smart enough to know that natural drains should not be built over, and yet lack the political will to protect them. Civic bodies should be smaller and removed from the exigencies of electoral politics. If such institutions were accountable to Amaravati’s future residents, the city would have a better chance of staying dry.

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:You are obviously "very" concerned and ready to do an odarpu for Amaravati. Before you ask Jagan to join you, here is something for you. In way way, it is good that Chennai is flooded before Amaravati is built. CBN is already asking the planners to take the new development into account. Rest assured that Amaravati will be flood safe. You and Jagan can divert your flood of odarpu tears to Chennai by generously donating money to the poor who lost everything.

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:You are obviously "very" concerned and ready to do an odarpu for Amaravati. Before you ask Jagan to join you, here is something for you. In way way, it is good that Chennai is flooded before Amaravati is built. CBN is already asking the planners to take the new development into account. Rest assured that Amaravati will be flood safe. You and Jagan can divert your flood of odarpu tears to Chennai by generously donating money to the poor who lost everything.

I already did and Andhra capital will be proven as a colossal mistake and I won't spend a dime of mine to enrich Babu & his cohorts who are building this in a wrong place for selfish reasons.

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:You are obviously "very" concerned and ready to do an odarpu for Amaravati. Before you ask Jagan to join you, here is something for you. In way way, it is good that Chennai is flooded before Amaravati is built. CBN is already asking the planners to take the new development into account. Rest assured that Amaravati will be flood safe. You and Jagan can divert your flood of odarpu tears to Chennai by generously donating money to the poor who lost everything.

I already did and Andhra capital will be proven as a colossal mistake and I won't spend a dime of mine to enrich Babu & his cohorts who are building this in a wrong place for selfish reasons.

Velanadu has been the cultural centre of Andhras for millennia. Amaravati is just bringing them back to their roots. Andhras (including those in Seema and Telangana) will cherish what CBN is doing.

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:You are obviously "very" concerned and ready to do an odarpu for Amaravati. Before you ask Jagan to join you, here is something for you. In way way, it is good that Chennai is flooded before Amaravati is built. CBN is already asking the planners to take the new development into account. Rest assured that Amaravati will be flood safe. You and Jagan can divert your flood of odarpu tears to Chennai by generously donating money to the poor who lost everything.

I already did and Andhra capital will be proven as a colossal mistake and I won't spend a dime of mine to enrich Babu & his cohorts who are building this in a wrong place for selfish reasons.

Velanadu has been the cultural centre of Andhras for millennia. Amaravati is just bringing them back to their roots. Andhras (including those in Seema and Telangana) will cherish what CBN is doing.

That would be a cultural shock to me. Can CBN put together two sentences in Telugu and pronounce them properly? He is worse than the people you make fun of.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:

confuzzled dude wrote:

Vakavaka Pakapaka wrote:You are obviously "very" concerned and ready to do an odarpu for Amaravati. Before you ask Jagan to join you, here is something for you. In way way, it is good that Chennai is flooded before Amaravati is built. CBN is already asking the planners to take the new development into account. Rest assured that Amaravati will be flood safe. You and Jagan can divert your flood of odarpu tears to Chennai by generously donating money to the poor who lost everything.

I already did and Andhra capital will be proven as a colossal mistake and I won't spend a dime of mine to enrich Babu & his cohorts who are building this in a wrong place for selfish reasons.

Velanadu has been the cultural centre of Andhras for millennia. Amaravati is just bringing them back to their roots. Andhras (including those in Seema and Telangana) will cherish what CBN is doing.

That would be a cultural shock to me. Can CBN put together two sentences in Telugu and pronounce them properly? He is worse than the people you make fun of.

Can Pappu or Sonia do wht u r asking - in any lnguage? Can Nuveen Patnaik do that in Odiya?

CBN can add a flood control canal to the new city- which will be cheaper to dig now. Also the dirt dug up during the construction of the city can be used to build a high embankment on either side of the river in addition to the flood control.

but wait...CBN has nothing to worry as KCR and Telengana will be starving Andhra of Krishna River.