Mancherial: Proposed retaining wall along Rallavagu remains a distant dream

The proposed Rs 259.99 crore retaining wall along Rallavagu and the Godavari to protect low-lying colonies in Mancherial remains on paper. Despite sanctions and tenders, work has not started, leaving residents vulnerable to repeated flooding during heavy rains

Mancherial: The proposed retaining wall along Rallavagu and the Godavari, meant to prevent inundation of low-lying areas in Mancherial district centre, continues to be a distant dream for residents of the town.

Low-lying areas such as NTR Nagar, LIC Colony, Balaji Nagar, Old Mancherial and surrounding colonies continue to be inundated by backwaters of Rallavagu and the Godavari whenever the region receives heavy rains. Residents are forced to vacate their houses and move to safer places. Some lose household appliances, cash and gold ornaments when their houses are flooded.

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To address this challenge permanently, a six-kilometre-long retaining wall was proposed by MLA K Premsagar Rao at an estimated cost of Rs 259.99 crore in 2024. The wall was planned to begin at Gouthameshwara Swamy temple and end at Andalamma Colony. Irrigation officials prepared estimates and surveyed illegal structures obstructing the stream’s course.

Around 10 to 15 illegal structures were identified for demolition, as they were located in the buffer zone of Rallavagu, which meanders through agricultural fields and residential colonies of the district centre for nearly seven kilometres. A small tract of private land was also identified for acquisition.

The retaining wall was designed to be 13 metres high at the Godavari and 3 metres at Carmel Convent High School. Administrative sanction was accorded in October 2024 and technical sanction in January. The tendering process was completed in April and an executing agency selected.

However, the work is yet to begin, irking residents of flood-hit areas. Officials said the work would start once designs were finalised, adding that it would take around three months to commence. They assured that steps were being taken to execute the project at the earliest.

Meanwhile, work on a high-level bridge across Rallavagu near Telangana Amaraveerula Stupam has also not begun, even a year after the foundation stone was laid. Mancherial MLA K Premsagar Rao laid the foundation stone for the bridge, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 13.50 crore, on March 10, 2024.

A causeway built across the stream in 2005 at a cost of Rs 80 lakh caved in during floods in 2020, necessitating the bridge.