Andhra Pradesh’s capital region flooded: Why this is just the beginning
Amaravati, the ambitious new capital of Andhra Pradesh, has been severely impacted by flooding, with torrential rains inundating 25 out of its 29 villages.
On a single day on August 31, the Amaravati weather station recorded 28 cm of rainfall, an unusual statistic at least in the past decade, according to an official from the Andhra Pradesh State Development Planning Society. “The weather station had 28cm rainfall on 31 August, with 15 cm of rainfall lashing it in three hours due to cumulonimbus clouds along with the depression formed at the Bay of Bengal,” the official, seeking anonymity, said.
Torrential rainfall in Krishna river’s upper catchment areas has had a significant impact on the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh, submerging lands in 25 out of 29 villages in the area under three feet of water; it took over a week for the water to recede. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s residence, the Manthena Satyanarayana Raju Nature Cure Hospital and SRM University were among the landmarks, which were submerged.
When Amaravati could flood due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas, what would be the situation if such an intense downpour descends on the capital? At a time when extreme rainfall events are occurring frequently in Indian cities, it is ironic that the Andhra Pradesh government is diverting billions towards constructing a capital city in a flood-prone region.
What caused the unusual rainfall? “During the Southwest monsoon, low-pressure systems often have varying impacts based on their location and movement. In this case, a low-pressure system passed near Srikakulam, affecting Vijayawada, Amaravati and neighbouring regions. This is due to the fact that low-pressure systems are typically tilted with height during the monsoon, causing upper-level circulation to shift,” said Rajanikanth Poolla, a weather blogger.
A flood-prone capital
Residents of Amaravati are not shocked as the city’s topography has always been vulnerable to floods. “Amaravati floods at least twice every year. While the intensity of rainfall this year has been heavier than usual, taking more time for water to drain out, it is something we are accustomed with. We cultivate flood-resilient crops such as turmeric and plantain during monsoon,” said Giridhar (name changed), a farmer.
Situated on the banks of the Krishna river, Amaravati is a floodplain with a water table just 10-15 feet below the surface in most areas. The region’s topography makes agriculture profitable but infrastructural development an expensive and time-consuming affair. “The region's black cotton soil, combined with a high water table in many areas, necessitates deeper foundations and more extensive water management. This results in increased requirements for concrete and steel, significantly driving up construction expenses,” social activist Bhupathi Raju Ramakrishna Raju said.
The Kondaveeti Vagu, a stream in Amaravati, acts as the area’s drainage system to drain excess water into Krishna. “The concept is flawed for two main reasons. First, the capacity of the Kondaveeti Vagu stream is insufficient to manage the volume of runoff. Second, the Krishna river at Amaravati will be already (flowing) at full capacity in a flood situation, leaving no room for additional runoff. To address this, a protection wall has been constructed along the Krishna river to prevent flooding of neighbouring villages by containing the river's waters," C Ramachandraiah, retired professor, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad, said.
When a city is built
Historically, the Kondaveeti Vagu stream has frequently submerged standing crops in Amaravati. To address this issue, the Telugu Desam Party government initiated the construction of a pumping station in 2015, designed to discharge 5,000 cusecs of water into the Krishna river. However, experts have criticised the project because the Krishna river is already flowing at full capacity by the time it reaches Amaravati during flood season.
“When the city is built, the speed at which water flows into the Kondaveeti Vagu stream would be high (considering water from rooftops etc). Runoff from stormwater drains would also flow through the stream, enhancing the chances of it swelling up,” Ramachandraiah added.
The Sivaramakrishnan committee appointed by the home affairs ministry to study alternative locations for a new capital in 2014 had clearly ruled out Amaravati as a capital. “Floods frequently affect coastal districts – Krishna, Guntur, East and West Godavari, which are located on the banks of Krishna and Godavari rivers. The October-November 2009 floods are one of the most devastating floods, affecting an estimated 20 lakh people. Hence, a very cautious choice has to be made around these locations as capital zones,” an excerpt from the report, accessed by HT, mentioned.
However, the planners had perceived that like the cities of Hyderabad on the Musi river and Chennai by the river Cooum, the Krishna river would be an advantage for the new city. But that’s not the case, experts have warned. “To construct effective stormwater drains, all runoff must be directed towards Kondaveeti Vaagu stream. Since Amaravati is a flat plain, creating proper slopes and gradients is essential for efficient drainage. Water flows into the Musi River at multiple points, but Kondaveeti Vaagu lacks such options. Even with the installation of artificial drainage systems, they cannot be emptied into the Krishna river due to the existing protection wall,” Ramachandraiah said.
A bleak future
Construction in Amaravati was halted after the YSR Congress Party, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, came to power in 2019. With the TDP government now returning to power following the 2024 elections, a pressing question among citizens is: What will happen when these flood-prone areas are developed into a bustling administrative centre with extensive infrastructure? “Parts of a city getting inundated during floods is one thing. But an entire city being in a flood-prone area is a totally different thing,” Ramachandraiah said.
Lubna Sarwath, an environmentalist and Congress party member, criticised the decision to make Amaravati the capital, labelling it a unilateral choice by the TDP government. She questioned whether feasibility reports for alternative locations were conducted and expressed concern that these reports have not been made publicly available. "All these issues should be thoroughly investigated," she said.
Officials from the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority, the department developing Amaravati, declined to comment on the situation.
Development and expansion of Indian cities have frequently involved encroaching on water bodies: A similar practice could prove to be deadly for vulnerable Amaravati. “When the Krishna River floods, Kondaveeti Vaagu will swell, and Amaravati will submerge,” warned CPM Leader Babu Rao. There are a lot of encroachments on Krishna's river bed in Amaravati, he said, adding that such structures should be removed to avoid heavy flooding in the future.
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