NIO identifies 14 breach-prone stretches along Godavari branches

Experts from the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa have identified 14 stretches vulnerable to breaches along the Gouthami and Vasista branches of the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema district. The team, led by chief scientist Jaya Kumar Seelam, presented its findings at a review meeting with revenue and water-resources officials on Wednesday. District Collector R.

Mahesh Kumar directed officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report and a socio-economic assessment. The proposed assessment will examine the possible effect of embankment breaches on villages, crops and assets along the two river branches. Officials were also instructed to record water pressure at the 14 locations identified as prone to breaches.

Kumar said NIO-Goa experts had recommended riprap, a method involving the placement of stones along an embankment. Authorities would also examine the use of geo-textile material at some locations to reduce the cost of strengthening the banks. The Godavari originates in Maharashtra and reaches the Bay of Bengal through Konaseema and West Godavari districts.

The river experiences at least two floods each year, according to the report. Officials were separately directed to study the effect of silt accumulation at the meeting points of the Konavaram and Rameswaram irrigation drains. The collector’s office said the silting was submerging nearly 15,000 acres of agricultural fields in the district.

The report does not provide an estimate for the cost or completion date of the proposed strengthening work. It also does not state whether the 14 locations have suffered previous breaches or when the Detailed Project Report will be completed. The immediate response described in the material is therefore focused on assessment, monitoring and the preparation of technical recommendations.

Any construction or reinforcement would follow the studies and project planning directed at the meeting.