Tirupati: Officials complete Rayala Cheruvu repair works in record 8 days

Tirupati: The 8-day-long hectic works to repair the breach in the historic Rayala Cheruvu tank was completed on Saturday. Marking the completion, local MLA and TUDA chairman Chevireddy Bhaksar Reddy performed special poojas near the site where tank was breached and Ganga pooja to the tank water.

The huge dent on the slopes of tank bund due to leakage of water was covered in a record time using heavy machinery and the leaking water also let out through pipes. About 4,000 cusecs of water also let out from the tank by cutting the bund at the southern end of tank, reducing the water level by 4 ft, to reduce pressure.

Besides reinforcing the bund was also taken up. Speaking on the occasion, Reddy said the combined tireless efforts of the officials of various department helped to prevent the tank breach.

He thanked the officials particularly the Irrigation department, TTD and Bharathi Cements for providing cement bags and also senior irrigation officials from Vijayawada and experts from IIT, Tirupati lending their expertise and giving suggestions to protect the tank from breaching. He said efforts would continue to safeguard the tank keeping in the rain resuming and permanent measure to keep it safe in future also. While water was released by cutting off the bund at the far end of the tank letting out. It may be noted here that about 7,000 people from the villages in the down reaches were shifted after the leakage was found last week as a precautionary measure.

Local MLA along Collector M Hari Narayanan, SP Ch Venkata Appla Naidu stayed at the tank for three days to see the repairs works go on round-the-clock. The people in the villages in the mandal and officials heaved a sigh of relief with the successful completion of repair works.