The construction of the one-kilometre-long geo-tube is expected to be completed by October to prevent erosion along the coastal stretch of Pedda Mynavarani Lanka (P.M. Lanka) on Narsapuram coast in West Godavari district.
The geo-tube, being funded by Deloitte India, would be the second one on the Andhra Pradesh coast. The first geo-tube was installed along the Uppada coast, which is one of the coastal stretches that is witnessing an alarming rate of erosion over the past decade.
Deloitte India is offering ₹13.50 crore for the project under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in response to a request by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who adopted P.M. Lanka village. The geo-tube is one of the major projects pursued by Ms. Sitharaman in her adopted village which comprises farmers and fisherfolk..
IIT-Madras
The Ocean Engineering Department of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has conducted the feasibility study of the geo-tube, which is being built under the aegis of the Chief Engineer of the Godavari Delta System of the Water Resource Department.
On July 5 (Saturday), Anirudh Sravan Pulipaka, Personal Secretary to Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, and West Godavari District Collector Chadalavada Nagarani inspected the geo-tube works.
In an official release, District Collector Ch. Nagarani said, “The construction of the geo-tube is in full swing and it is expected to be completed by October”.
Once commissioned, Deloitte India will maintain the geo-tube before handing it over to the Water Resources Department.