‘City of Tanks and Lakes’ plan reaches DPR stage in Tirupati
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s pet project, ‘Tirupati – City of Tanks and Lakes’, has progressed to the stage of preparing a Detailed Project Report
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s pet project, ‘Tirupati – City of Tanks and Lakes’, has progressed to the stage of preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR), with the Tirupati Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) deciding to adopt an integrated approach for the city’s long-term water management. At a panel discussion convened by TUDA in Tirupati on Wednesday, TMC Commissioner Sarada Devi presented a concept note titled ‘Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management’, outlining the framework for integrating the city’s water bodies.
She said the Tirupati region had historically been sustained by an interconnected network of lakes, tanks, feeder channels and natural drainage courses that served as a natural system for flood moderation, groundwater recharge and ecological balance. However, rapid urbanisation, siltation, shrinking water bodies, obstruction of natural drainage channels, missing links between tanks, encroachments, and the discharge of sewage and sullage into water bodies had significantly weakened the region’s natural flood-mitigation capacity, she observed.
TUDA Secretary N. V. Sreekanth Babu said the authority had proposed the rejuvenation of 23 identified water bodies and the strengthening of the region’s stormwater management infrastructure. He noted that these water bodies were expected to come under the proposed Greater Tirupati Municipal Corporation. Unless the water bodies and their interconnected drainage network were scientifically restored and protected, the city would continue to face an increased risk of flooding, similar to the devastating floods of November 2021, he cautioned.
To address these challenges, TUDA has proposed preparing a comprehensive DPR for submission to KfW Development Bank, Germany, with technical support from ICLEI, to seek financial assistance for implementing the project. Officials and engineers from the TMC and TUDA, along with an ICLEI team led by eminent hydrologist Ramamohan Rao, participated in the deliberations.
The BriefWire