Peddapalli: Another check dam damaged in Manair river; sabotage by sand mafia suspected

A second check dam across the Manair river in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district was found damaged, raising suspicions of deliberate sabotage. Locals blamed sand mafia, citing low water flow, while irrigation officials ruled out flooding and moved to lodge a police complaint.

Peddapalli: Close on the heels of damage to the Thanugula check dam, another check dam constructed across the Manair river between Adavisomanpalli in Manthani mandal and PV Nagar in Malhar mandal of Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district was found damaged on Wednesday.

The check dam, which was reportedly in good condition on Wednesday morning, was found damaged by afternoon. Local residents noticed water flowing downstream due to the breach and alerted the officials.

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Though the exact cause of the damage is yet to be ascertained, locals suspected that the sand mafia may have deliberately damaged the structure to facilitate illegal transportation of sand.

On receiving information, irrigation officials led by Junior Engineer Nikhil visited the spot and observed that a stretch of about 120 metres of the check dam had been damaged.

Nikhil expressed doubts over the nature of the damage, stating that there was no significant flooding in the river at present that could have caused such destruction.

As Manthani police reportedly declined to register a complaint, citing lack of jurisdiction over the incident site, the officials decided to lodge a complaint with the Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district police.

Local residents and farmers also questioned the sudden damage to the check dam, recalling that it remained intact when the Manair carried nearly 12 lakh cusecs of floodwater in 2023. They expressed suspicion as the structure was damaged now when only about 1,000 cusecs of water was flowing in the river.

They alleged that the damage was deliberate, aimed at enabling sand transportation from the upper reaches of the check dam.

The check dam was constructed by the previous BRS government in 2021 at a cost of Rs.40 crore. Following heavy floods, sidewalls were also constructed in 2024.