Ropeway likely at Kuntala waterfall

Forest department is planning to set up ropeway at the Kuntala waterfall for the benefit of the visits especially aged elderly persons as one has to climb down above 400 steps to reach the bottom of the waterfall.

Minister for forest and environment Jogu Ramanna recently held a review meeting with the forest official and discussed on the development of Kuntala waterfall.

He instructed the officials to start development works at Kuntrala and security and safety measures for visitors and prevent the incidents of visitors drowning. 

However, Minister instructed the forest officials take u development works and safety measures without affecting natural beauty of the waterfall. The officials decided to take restrooms and toilets for visitors.

Speaking to this newspaper, minister Jogu Ramana said as many as 136 visitors drowned accidentally in the whirlpool so far at the Kuntala waterfall and the have prepared plan to take development and safety and security measures at the waterfall to encourage eco-tourism without affecting the natural beauty of the waterfall and firest there.

He said they were also planning to set up ropeway the convenience of the elderly visitors and added that they will also intensify the steps to control the illegal teak wood smuggling and fell in trees by some professional wood smugglers in the district.

On Sunday, Adivasis of ten villages surrounding Kuntaka waterfall have gathered at Kuntala (B) village and took a decision to oppose any effort to fill the deep ditches and whirlpool with boulders and cement and concrete in the middle of the waterfall. adivasis said they were against any efforts which deface the natural beauty of the waterfall and also sacredness of the place.

The villagers made it clear to the forest officials that they will welcome the steps like erecting fencing and constructing a cement wall to prevent the visitors from going close the waterfall by the forest officials.

Adivasi leader Daulath Rao said a second meeting will be held with the top forest officials on the issue and even they were planning to meet the Minister to put forth their objections on the issue.

Liquor flows at Kuntala

Along with floodwater, liquor is flowing at Kuntala waterfall and it is surprising to know that women are taking the liquor bottles hidden in their handbags to down for their husbands or family members to escape checking at the entry point at Kuntala waterfall.

Guards deployed there say that they can’t check the women visitors and they were taking this an advantage. There are no police checks at the entrance to Kuntala in Neredigonda.

One can find empty liquor bottle scattered in plain area and near rocks and in the bushes. Most of the visitors especially youth and men come with families from other districts to Kuntala waterfall, celebrate with liquor and some of the families even cook non- vegetarian food there itself.

After consuming liquor, men and youth go to near gushing water and enjoy clicking the photographs in an inebriated condition. People in inebriated condition can’t control themselves in emergencies, unlike normal people.

Guard Poshetti Munuguru said some of the women taking liquor bottles hidden  in their handbags for their hands and family members to escape checking at the entrance to Kuntala waterfall.

Devidas Pawar, who is checking at the entrance, said some of the visitors hiding liquor bottles under carpets of the seats in their vehicles to avoid seizure of the liquor during checking and said they were helpless in controlling the liquor at the Kuntala waterfall.

Earlier, Neredigonda police used to conduct vehicles checking before allowing them to proceed towards the Kuntala waterfall and prohibited liquor sale at the roadside dabhas and hotels but one can’t find such measures now in place.

Poshetti expressed anxiety over college girls coming with their boyfriends and spending much time in the bushes or inside the forests at the Kuntala waterfall and added that unscrupulous elements may target the girls by attacking the men with the girls. He suggested that girls and women should not go into bushes and deep into forests for their safety.

It is suspected that some of the guards were not paying much attention to the materials the visitors carry and turn a blind eye to liquor celebrations by visitors.

Kuntala waterfall runs dry so early

The dried up Kuntala waterfall 

The Kuntala waterfall has run dry- and with it, the enthusiasm of the tourists who have been thronging there in large numbers only to turn away disappointed.

Most of the devotees who visited Basar temple on the occasion of Vasantha Panchami are also visiting Kuntala waterfall but returned with disappointment.

Sama Shiva of Vijayawada was one of them, who said that it would be have been helpful if the Tourism department had put out an advisory or notice, informing the people accordingly as locals at Basar had misinformed him, other tourists too felt that there was a need for signboards, carrying full details about the waterfall, the best time to visit and warnings against going into the deep or onto slippery spots.

“But it has dried earlier than usual this year due to successive drought conditions” which was generally goes dry by April ending, said Sharada , manager of a hotel near the waterfall . 

She surmised that this was why tourists from districts from the district were staying away while those from other states had been coming expectantly.

The streams and rivulets which flow into Kuntala waterfall have dried perhaps due to high temperatures, say locals, the water usually disappearing by the end of  April.  

Kuntala waterfall turns rock climbing site

The famous Kuntala waterfall has turned into a rock climbing site for visitors as the waterfall has dried up. People visiting Kuntala waterfall are climbing the rock easily without any rope.

Water flows into Kuntala waterfall mainly from the Kupti rivulet in Neredigonda mandal. Apart from taking a cool dip in the water, the waterfall, when it is flowing, is good place to take picture.

However, visitors fulfilling their desire taking pictures standing on the top of the water fall without facing any danger.

Birkurwar Venkatesh of Adilabad town, who visited the Kuntala waterfall along with relatives two days ago said, they climbed up the Kuntala waterfalls as it has gone dry and pose no danger to the visitors.

He said most visitors are not taking the steps and climbing down the waterfall from its top and taking photographs wherever they want on the rocky area.            

Security persons posted at the Kuntala waterfall  following the several instances of tourists  drowning , are also not imposing any restrictions on the movements of the visitors.

Tourists expressed fears that if this was the situation of Kuntala waterfall going dry for five months in the summer and the situation become worse if the proposed lift irrigation constructed on the Kupti rivulet by the state government.

R. Srinivas of Kumari village of Neredigonda mandal said, the water flow into Kuntala waterfall has started getting decreased by last September as water flow had come down from Boath and Bajarhatnoor irrigation projects.

Kupti project may turn another mini- Polavaram

The proposed Kupti project site in  Neredigonda mandal. 

The proposed Kupti medium irrigation project in Adilabad by the state government may turn into mini- Polavaram project which submerged more than 2,000 acres fertile lands and majority of them belongs to Adivasis, Dalits and backward communities of four villages in the area.

People of the four villages will not get any benefit from the project and will lose their lands like Adivasis in Polavaram project.  

Kupti medium irrigation project, probably as balancing reservoir, was planned near Kupti ghat on the Kadam vagu. The same water will flow into the Kadam irrigation project and also Kuntala waterfall.

The Kupti project is to be constructed between two hills so that the rain water falls into the huge catchment area where nearly seven streams from bordering Maharashtra flow into Kadam and Boath streams which merge near Kupti and flows downwards.

Kumari is the grampanchayat comprising 480 families and 2,200 population. Gajili and Gandhari villages are tribal villages where nearly 200 Adivasis families living from time immemorial.

Preliminary survey for the Kupti project was conducted three years ago and now the state government has called for tender for survey. Mode village in Bajarhatnoor will also get affected with the backwaters if project is constructed.

Kumari MPTC Atram Laxman of Gandhari village said, ‘he came to know that his Gandhari village was not shown in the list of submerged villages but the fact remains different’.

Kumari grampanchayat has sufficient ground water which enables the farmers to cultivate commercial also traditional crops like cotton, soya, turmeric, maize and pulses and even vegetables.

Farmers of grampanchayat have been getting good yields for a few years. The area is close to NH-44 and land values were high in the open market compared to other lands in the area.

Kupti project will also affect the habitat of the many forest animals in the forests located in and around the Kupti ghats.

Adepu Hanumaiah of Kumari village worried over losing their fertile and much valuable land under the proposed project and said the proposed project will not benefit the farmers of the four villages except losing their lands.

There were strong allegations that some local top political leaders have started purchasing lands in the area in the benami names in view of the Kupti project for some time and lobbied for the project get clearance from the state government with the help of a top official of the Adilabad working in the irrigation department at Hyderabad.

Gaddam Bheemreddy of Kumari said it was very difficult for them to settle down after losing their valuable lands under project if they do not get right compensation to their lands and good rehabilitation package.

Adilabad for adventure tourism