Ambazari Lake Overfull
Nagpur: As per directives from the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, Divisional Commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari on Wednesday met top officials from various departments and directed them to expedite strengthening of the 150-year-old Ambazari Dam.
Officials from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and Mahametro were present for the meeting. Bidari told them to submit regular progress reports and remedial plans.
Last week, the Maharashtra Government, on being censured by HC, constituted a high-level panel under Bidari to ensure safety of the British era dam, which overflowed following heavy rains on September 23 and caused floods in nearby areas in Nagpur.
The panel includes Nagpur District Collector Vipin Itankar, Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Chaudhary, Mahametro Director (Planning) Anil Kokate, Additional Collector Asha Pathan, Chief Engineer of Irrigation Department PK Pawar, Managing Director of Oceanographic Research Institute in Nashik — Pramod Mandade, Avinash Katade from NIT, Public Works Department Superintending Engineer Janardhan Bhanuse, NMC Superintending Engineer Shweta Banerjee and Deputy Commissioner of Revenue Deepali Motiyele.
The Divisional Commissioner was told that various agencies have started work on fortifying the dam with phase I of the job being complete. A budget of Rs 21 crore has been earmarked for the second phase, which Bidari said should be completed on priority.
“As per the provisions framed under the Dam Safety Act, the works will be prioritized on the recommendations of the committee of experts. It included removal of encroachments that obstruct the flow of the dam, strengthening of main walls, deepening of drains, and raising the height of bridges. For uninterrupted flow of Ambazari Lake water, the possibility of installing gates at the dam as per instructions from experts from Nashik will be explored,” said a statement issued by the Divisional Commissioner’s office.
The panel was told that the irrigation department had issued a tender for various works and the civic body was told to remove the obstacles from areas under NIT and Mahametro before the next monsoon.
Bidari has called the next meeting of the panel on January 24. She said the work will be reviewed regularly and the progress report will be submitted in the high court, in accordance with the PIL filed by flood-hit victims who prayed for removing encroachments and rejuvenation of Nag River and Ambazari Lake.
“The priority will be decided for various works in accordance with the dam safety regulations. Under this, encroachments obstructing the flow of water from the reservoir will be removed. The main wall will be strengthened. Deepening of nullah, increasing the height of the bridge and other works are also to be done,” Bidari said.
A report regarding the progress of the works will be submitted to the High Court by the committee. Bidari asked the officers of NMC, Water Resources Department, Nagpur Improvement Trust, and Maha Metro to submit a report regarding the measures taken by them for strengthening Ambazari dam.
