Now Reading: Andhra tanks lose half storage to silt and encroachments
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Andhra tanks lose half storage to silt and encroachments
After farmers complained, Chittoor District Collector Sumit Kumar inspected four tanks in Gudipala mandal in May 2025. Officials found silt accumulation and alleged encroachments shrinking water bodies. The 2023 District Survey Report…
The Story in Brief
After farmers complained, Chittoor District Collector Sumit Kumar inspected four tanks in Gudipala mandal in May 2025. Officials found silt accumulation and alleged encroachments shrinking water bodies. The 2023 District Survey Report shows Chittoor's 4,121 minor irrigation tanks have a combined designed capacity of 15,133.73 mcft but current capacity of only 8,924.23 mcft.
Eleven of 14 tanks that once supplied drinking water to Chittoor city have been fully encroached upon. Feeder channels to Kajuru Cheruvu have remained blocked for four decades. An NGO has approached the Chittoor district court seeking protection of Gangineni Cheruvu's buffer zone. The Andhra Pradesh High Court is also hearing a case on Agarampalli Ayacut Cheruvu, where farmers allege 16 of 47.84 acres have been encroached.
The Indian Opinion
Some blame only government neglect for vanishing tanks, but officials note that siltation and reduced inflows also cut storage. Others claim every lost acre is encroachment; revenue records show protected tank levels matter too. The real test will be the courts: do orders for surveys and desilting actually restore water storage, or are they just paperwork?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
