Will the modernization of the Vizag Mudasarlova park cause more damage to the dry reservoir?
The Mudasarlova Park Visakhapatnam (Vizag) has continuously been one of every of the favorite picnic spots within the town. Constructed during the British rule, it is one of the oldest existing parks. But the unhappy state it lies in shows neglect of the many years. But VUDA currently plans to offer the park a facelift, decking it up with basic amenities and several other new facilities. Spread over twenty acres and placed at Hanumanthavaka, regarding twenty five kms aloof from town, the park stands close to the Mudasarlova reservoir.
This Park created by the Mudasarlova Reservoir and is about up within the one amongst the pleasant valleys of Vizag. So close to clamoring town however so quiet. Created contiguous Mudasarlova Cheruvu Lake that is sustained by the Springs ranging from Kambalakonda and Kailasagiri hill Ranges. Mudasarlova is the real Source of Drinking Water to Visakhapatnam (Vizag). The recreation center has the most ideal setting for a picnic.
This wonderful site about to the lake settles within the inside of slopes and palm trees. There are pretty stops loaded with delightful blossoms and diverse sorts of trees, wellsprings, feathered creatures in confines and additionally a few excursion spots. There is likewise an incredible grand Golf Course Club located Mudasarlova Park Visakhapatnam (Vizag)
Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority
The Vizag development body plans to spend Rs 50 crore on redeveloping the park. Environmentalists say that recharging the reservoir should be prioritised instead. The Mudasarlova park in Visakhapatnam is ready for a massive renovation, and the marking plans for VMRDA (Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority) are expected to cost around Rs 50 crore. It has been reported that the foundation stone is likely to be laid soon.
The reservoir, which has been one of the primary sources of drinking water for Visakhapatnam, is now almost completely dry. Well-known reformer Rajendra Singh, Who has been dubbed as a result of the ‘Waterman of Asian nation,’ had visited Mudasarlova last month, throughout a three-day water body rejuvenation yatra inside the region. During his visit, Rajendra Singh reportedly aforementioned that the reservoir can be revived with “political and body can and social organization permitting it.” He aforementioned that the culverts carrying water to the reservoir were “wrongly located”, blocking the streams.
He additionally aforementioned that “linkage may be established on the top, and therefore the contour of hill may be followed to create a stream into the lake Sohan Hatangadi, a Vizag-based environmentalist and historian, believes that the proposal to spruce up the park next to the reservoir is a bad idea. That place is already bursting at the seams during winter. To try and make an already crowded place a tourist attraction and bring more people there is unreasonable.
Concerns with the modernization of the park
They will not be giving a better experience to visitors,” he says. He also says that the indigenous plants which have been around for nearly half a century will get damaged in the process. VMRDA President Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao, on the other hand, insists that there will be absolutely no ecological damage. “It has been done in the past in other places. Even in town Central Park, not one tree has been destroyed. We are planning to build better roads, construct food courts and greenery etc. It’s an effort for the people of Vizag,” says Srinivas.
“If we modernize it, it will be the property of the people of Vizag. We don’t have several such places, aside from town Central Park,” he adds. Reportedly, the crore of Rs 19 in the first phase of the project will be spent on “infrastructure development, an entrance arch, amphitheater, playground, restaurants and internal roads.” Sohan says that when the proposal came up earlier, activists had suggested that VMRDA be very careful. We told them to try and do progressive development instead of major development. Yet they require to spend Rs. 19 crore over there. The reservoir has dried up now, but there is a possibility that it might get filled sometime in the future. Having so many visitors next to a reservoir is totally against any environmental principles.
Reservoir replenishment
Sohan says that the money could be better spent on recharging the reservoir. “What they need to do is free up all the passageways that bring water to this reservoir. The reservoir is more than 100 years old. It’s a valley with hills on all sides. Any rain water trickles down through the hills and lands up in this reservoir. But they have built roads on all three sides, with one side being the bund built by the British. The roads have got inadequate passages for water to flow under the road. They have not given enough tunnels and culverts.”
it’s not an exaggeration to say that we will be water starved continuously. So it will be foolhardy to go and spend money on building a park, instead of making arrangements to receive whatever trickle of water we can in the reservoir,” Sohan says. Potluri Anil Chowdary, the Managing Director of GreenWaves Environmental Solutions, agrees with Sohan. “Look at Chennai. It’s always today you, tomorrow us. And the day after tomorrow, nobody knows who will be there on the planet,” he says.
Calling the drying of the reservoir a synthetic disaster, Anil says we should always 1st be doing our half to recharge it. “We will work on the water beds, channelising it the right approach. But building a park is not sustainable development. A lot of flora and fauna development has happened in the past in and around Visakha. We have Shivaji Park and others. We do not require one more park with the risk of affecting the body of water, “says Anil. Sohan suggests that city residents would be better off if VMRDA reprioritized their spending. If they need Rs 17 crore to squander, then they ought to pay a minimum of Rs 10 crore on building fifty culverts round the place and a proper wall. Now they’ve only got a barbed wire fence through which every piece of plastic from the road flies into the reservoir.
Entry Fee and Timings of Mudasarlova Park
To enter Mudasarlova Park in Visakhapatnam, you must pay INR 10 per person. It is open for visitors from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Every day of the week.
How to Reach Mudasarlova Park, Visakhapatnam?
Located at a distance of 6 km from the city, Mudasarlova Park is easily accessible by road if you come directly from the airport or the city train station. You can choose to travel on a local bus or simply book a private taxi. Visakhapatnam Junction, which is approximately 12 km from the park, can be covered in 24-25 minutes, while on the other hand, Visakhapatnam International Airport is about 20 km and takes 40 minutes to reach the park at your convenience.