The Penna river canal system got a new lease of life with the completion of the Nellore and Sangam barrages, making a decades-old dream of the people of Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh a reality. The two new embankments across the Penna river, constructed at a total cost of Rs 326 crore, will not only stabilize the ayacut of about 4.85 million acres but also relieve the people of several mandals and the city of Nellore from the sorrow of river floods.
The then British rulers constructed anicut in Nellore and Sangam in the 1880s to meet the needs of irrigation as well as drinking water supply for several mandals in SPS Nellore district, apart from Nellore city. But these two structures outlived their usefulness, so people wanted new levees along with roadways. The then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy started two new barrages in 2008, but progressed at a slow pace due to various reasons.
The present government headed by his son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has finally completed the projects thus fulfilling the long cherished dream of the people of SPS Nellore. The Sangam Barrage is now named after former Mekapati minister Goutam Reddy, who died of a heart attack in February this year. The Sangam Barrage has an ayacut of 3.85 lakh acres under it, including 2.47 lakh acres under the Penna delta.
The 1,195 meter long Sangam barrage has 79 ridge gates and six vents. A two-way road on the embankment will facilitate smooth traffic between Sangam and Podalakuru mandals. According to the representatives of the state department of water resources, two flood banks on both sides of the river with a length of about seven km were also strengthened as part of the project. Two regulators were built on the Kanigiri-Kavali and Kanupuru canals to ensure efficient water supply to the ayacut.
The Nellore Barrage in the city is built with 43 spillway gates and eight sluices. It has the capacity to impound 0.45 million cubic feet of water. The dam has a 7.5 m carriageway for smooth traffic. Nellore Barrage has about 99,000 acres under its command and is also a source of drinking water for the citizens of Nellore city and 77 surrounding villages.The Chief Minister will inaugurate both projects on Tuesday.
