With Rayalacheruvu having filled to its brim and breaches erupting to its bund at four points, irrigation officials on Monday increased the outflow over and above the inflow into the water body to avert a possible calamity.
Special Officer P.S. Pradyumna on Sunday night visited the project along with the Collector M. Harinarayanan, local legislator Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and Superintendent of Police Ch. Venkata Appala Naidu, even as the team monitored the task of dumping sand bags to plug the breaches.
As the inflow continued to be at 6,000 cusecs against the outflow of 3,000 cusecs, the officials decided to increase the outflow to 6,000 cusecs to bring down the pressure on the bund, considered a security chink.
An official team from IIT Tirupati made a study and advised the irrigation team to increase the outflow on the Kuppam-Badur side. The district officials immediately evacuated the villages on this side to facilitate the heavy flow of water.
Minister for Panchayat Raj Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who inspected the spot on Monday, said as many as 30,000 sand bags would be dumped against the bund to bring the situation under control.
“Rayalacheruvu is the ancient and largest among the minor irrigation tanks in the district. We are striving to protect it at any cost,” he said. The Minister earlier visited the bridge across Swarnamukhi river that got washed away near the Gudimallam temple in Yerpedu mandal. He also inspected the Neeva river in spate in Puthalapattu mandal along with Chittoor MP N.Reddeppa.
