AP To Double Area Of Godavari Pushkaralu Ghats Spending ₹1,275 Crore

Bathing ghats play a crucial role for devotees who invariably take the holy dip and perform rituals during the auspicious period. Water Resources authorities are almost doubling the length of bathing ghats from the existing 4,516 metres to 9,918 metres. This will increase the number of total ghats to 359. The earlier ghats had been sufficient for the 4.5 crore devotees who visited the last Godavari Maha Pushkaralu in July 2015. With the number of devotees from across the country and also overseas expected to double in 2027, authorities are expanding the length of ghats. The existing ghats at the Godavari River will be lengthened wherever feasible. A fresh coat of bitumen will be laid on the approach roads for devotees to walk smoothly. With the water year generally beginning from June 1, authorities are hoping that the onset of southwest monsoon and the resultant rainfall will be in a timely manner during 2027. Godavari Pushkaralu are scheduled from June 26 to July 7. Water Resources officials want to ensure the water level at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at 13.64 metres with full storage of 2.93 TMC feet of water in the reservoir. In the event of rainfall in upstream catchment areas or local catchment areas, authorities intend to maintain a safe level of water in the river course by releasing surplus water downstream for the benefit of devotees. Dowleswaram Circle superintendent engineer K. Gopinath said, “We are developing and extending the existing ghats to ensure that devotees take their holy dip and perform rituals without facing any inconvenience.” However, continuous mining of sand from the Godavari riverbed is a cause of concern. Authorities will have to ensure that wherever there are deep pits, they will need to put up iron barricades, so that devotees do not face the threat of drowning. As per an assessment, water level is expected to be maintained at about three feet, so that devotees can take a holy dip safely and perform their rituals. Authorities will deploy fishing boats where iron meshes are fixed in the river, so that no devotee crosses the barrier. “We will monitor the water levels at the ghats along the river course to ensure the safety of devotees,” Godavari River conservator G. Srinivas said.



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