The disturbing sight of plastic waste and other debris floating on the stagnant waters near the outfall of a stormwater drain, where it converges with the Bay of Bengal at Pedda Jalaripeta—one of Visakhapatnam’s most historic fishing settlements—has become a regular view.
The image captures Visakhapatnam, also known as the City of Destiny, and its growing challenge with stormwater drains, which are designed to carry rainwater and reduce flooding. However, these drains are increasingly transporting wastewater through many parts of the city throughout the year before discharging into the sea.
The city’s landscape is shaped by hills, valleys, reservoirs, wetlands and natural drainage channels that carry rainwater towards the Bay of Bengal. However, over time, many of these natural channels became part of the city’s stormwater drainage network.
On World Environment Day (June 5), the condition of Visakhapatnam’s geddas (local drainage channels) offers a glimpse into the coastal city’s natural drainage systems, urban infrastructure, and environmental health, which have become increasingly intertwined.
Official records submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) show that several drains continue to carry what authorities describe as “Dry Weather Flow” (DWF), wastewater generated even in the absence of rainfall. Unlike black water, which is sewage from households, DWF primarily consists of grey water collected from kitchens, bathrooms, roads and other domestic sources.
Urbanisation and sewage infrastructure
The phenomenon highlights the widening gap between urban growth and sewerage infrastructure in one of Andhra Pradesh’s fastest-growing urban centres. As the city expanded, however, the sewerage infrastructure did not always keep pace.
According to submissions made by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) before the NGT in December 2025, the city generates around 224 million litres of sewage every day (MLD). Against this, available treatment capacity stood at 179 MLD across 19 sewage treatment plants (STPs), leaving a deficit of about 45 MLD.
While 18 of the city’s 41 major drains had been diverted to treatment facilities, several others continued to discharge into coastal areas, including RK Beach, Jalaripeta, Appughar, Sagar Nagar, and Rushikonda.
The challenge is particularly evident in the rapidly urbanising corridor between Madhurawada and Bheemunipatnam, where residential and commercial development has expanded faster than underground sewage infrastructure. Several drains in this stretch continue to discharge into the sea because sewage networks have yet to be established.
And, for residents living along the city’s drainage channels and outfalls, the consequences are immediate and visible.
Polluted water filled with debris gathers at the drain’s outfall near Pedda Jalaripeta, just before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
| Photo Credit:
V. RAJU
Impact on health and livelihood
At the Pedda Jalaripeta outfall, the drain forms a shallow water body before entering the sea. Plastic waste and floating debris accumulate along its edges, while the beach serves as a workspace for fishing families. The proximity between the polluted outfall and the community’s daily activities underscores the extent to which the city’s drainage problems are affecting livelihoods and public health.
Over 7,000 people from the fishing community reside in Pedda Jalaripeta, many of whom depend directly on the sea for their livelihoods.
“The gedda overflows whenever it rains, spreading across the beach and into the sea. Along with it come all kinds of waste, including plastic, gunny bags, coconut shells, chicken waste, and even dead animals. All of us living here, including our children, are suffering from skin ailments and other health issues,” says O. Raju, a fisherman.
For fishing communities, pollution is not merely an environmental issue but also an economic one. “Earlier, we used to pull fish ashore, but now we pull up plastic, gunny bags, and other toxic waste,” he adds.
Elsewhere in the city, overflowing drains present a different set of challenges. During periods of intense rainfall, channels clogged with solid waste often overflow onto roads and into residential areas.
“Bottlenecks and shrinking drainage channels continue to aggravate flooding in several localities,” says Vivek Rathod, an Environmentalist. He argues that stormwater drains gradually became linked to wastewater disposal systems as the city expanded, creating a situation in which channels intended for rainwater now carry wastewater.
Wastewater and the city
The impact of wastewater entering stormwater drains does not end at the outfall. Monitoring conducted by the APPCB and submitted to the NGT found that wastewater quality at several coastal discharge points failed to meet prescribed standards. The Board reported exceedances in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) at multiple locations where wastewater entered coastal waters.
Every drain carrying wastewater to the sea becomes a pathway through which pollutants, excess nutrients, and solid waste enter marine ecosystems. Plastic waste, organic matter, and other debris carried downstream eventually accumulate on beaches and near-shore waters. During the monsoon, the volume of waste transported by drains increases significantly.
Rajendra Singh, water conservationist and founder of Jal Biradari, estimates that around 200 MLD of untreated wastewater eventually reaches the sea through various pathways. This figure, drawn from his independent assessment, is considerably higher than the official treatment deficit of 45 MLD, and likely accounts for STPs operating below rated capacity, bypasses, and informal discharge points not captured in official submissions.
“All this polluted water eventually reaches the ocean, damaging the environment and ecology,” he says. Fishing communities are among the worst affected because deteriorating water quality impacts marine life and fish resources on which livelihoods depend, he explains.
Environmental groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the cumulative impact of wastewater discharges on marine ecosystems, fish populations and coastal biodiversity. Questions have also been raised about the effects of pollution on marine wildlife, including Olive Ridley turtles that frequent the coast.
Polluted water flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
| Photo Credit:
V. RAJU
Ecological diversity
The geddas have undergone substantial changes over the years. Many natural drainage corridors, which once functioned as earthen seasonal waterways, have been modified, narrowed, or progressively lined with concrete—first under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and more recently through ongoing GVMC works. Continuous wastewater flows have further altered the ecological character of these channels.
Few Indian cities occupy a setting as ecologically diverse as Visakhapatnam. Rajendra Singh describes the city as an environmentally, ecologically, and hydrologically sensitive region. “There are mountains, sea, forests, and agricultural fields. The number of such regions in India is low,” he says.
Singh, who has been associated with efforts to address water pollution issues in the city for nearly a decade, says the degradation of water bodies and coastal waters warrants urgent attention. “Visakhapatnam’s water bodies and the sea are being polluted at a rapid pace,” he laments.
Urban planners and environmentalists argue that Visakhapatnam needs to rethink its relationship with these drainage corridors.
Sohan Hatangadi, president of the Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens’ Forum (GVCF), believes geddas should be viewed as environmental and public assets rather than merely drains.
“The bottom line is that stormwater channels should be treated as useful public spaces rather than mere drains. If they are properly developed with a path alongside the gedda, children can walk to school, people can commute on foot, and the area can function like a park. In this way, the space can serve multiple purposes,” he says.
He advocates treating geddas as ‘blue-green veins’ within the city and integrating them into urban planning through landscaping, ecological restoration, and pedestrian access. He also cautions against excessive concretisation.
“If you cement the entire gedda, the water that is supposed to seep into the ground to increase the water table will also stop. In some places, the gedda should be left natural because the water will seep into the ground and encourage flora and fauna,” he observes.
Bollisetty Satyanarayana, an environmentalist and co-petitioner in the Andhra Pradesh High Court PIL on sewage discharge, argues that solutions need not always be large and long-term. Referring specifically to the stormwater drain that passes through MVP Colony and Lawson’s Bay Colony before discharging into the sea at Pedda Jalaripeta, he contends that immediate bioremediation measures and decentralised sewage treatment facilities located along the drain could reduce pollution substantially, without waiting for major infrastructure projects to be completed.
“With a fraction of the funds, bioremediation can be used to stop the pollution. Why don’t you build the STP here? Why do you want to build a pumping station here and pump it elsewhere? You can do it downstream. It is the best thing to do. A portion of the adjacent park, which is not being fully used, can also be utilised to build an STP. Everybody is interested in making a big-size project instead of identifying and implementing small solutions to the problem,” he says.
A drain carrying sewage and solid waste flows into the sea at Sagar Nagar in Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
V. RAJU
Restoration and treatment
Acknowledging the growing need for better drainage systems, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) states that a combination of drainage improvements, sewerage expansion, and wastewater interception projects is under way.
According to GVMC Chief Engineer P.V.V. Satyanarayana Raju, the city’s road network spans approximately 2,700 km, and stormwater drains — classified as minor (300 mm to 600 mm), medium (600 mm to 2 metres) and major (above 2 metres) — are designed to run parallel to these roads. Against a theoretical requirement of 4,000 km, the city has around 3,000 km of drains, a gap of 1,000 km identified through a consultant-prepared drainage master plan.
“An Urban Flood Risk Management Project has been proposed by the Central government and is expected to receive administrative sanction shortly. Under this project, we will cover around 15 to 20 low-lying areas that are frequently inundated, including parts of Seethammadhara and KRM Colony. After sanction, we have to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and call for tenders. The works should be completed within two years,” he said.
On wastewater entering drains, the Chief Engineer says around 20 such drains carry mixed flows into the sea and the corporation is diverting them to STPs. A pipeline is already being laid along the Beach Road from Sagar Nagar to intercept that drain and pump its flow to a treatment plant.
The city currently operates five major STPs and 14 smaller treatment plants serving housing colonies. An additional STP is planned at Kapuluppada, and a 25 MLD STP is proposed at Appughar.
“For that level of coverage, the existing STPs are almost adequate. There is only a shortage of about 30 to 40 MLD. To address that, we are building new STPs. We have secured projects worth ₹1,500 crore under the Urban Challenge Fund, including a ₹658 crore underground sewerage project for Madhurawada with a 20 MLD treatment plant and 450 km of network, and a ₹725 crore bulk water supply project for that area where supply is currently only 60 to 70 litres per capita per day against a standard of 150 litres,” he said.
Ahead of the monsoon, GVMC undertook large-scale desiltation of stormwater drains. According to the Chief Engineer, the corporation identified about 180 km of critical drains for desiltation and had completed nearly 165 km so far, with the remaining stretches scheduled for completion shortly. Such works are carried out annually before the onset of the monsoon, he said, adding “GVMC is also installing screens near outfalls to trap floating waste, with sanitation staff deputed to periodically clear the accumulated material.”
As Visakhapatnam expands, the challenge for policymakers is not simply to build more drains; it is to restore the distinction between stormwater and sewage systems, expand treatment capacity, protect natural drainage corridors, and prevent wastewater from reaching the sea.
Stormwater drains were never intended to function as year-round carriers of wastewater. Yet, many now do. The consequences are visible in flood-prone neighbourhoods, fishing communities, beaches, and coastal waters.
“On World Environment Day, let the city’s geddas offer a reminder that environmental health is shaped not only by forests, hills and coastlines, but also by the condition of the waterways that connect them,” notes Rajendra Singh.
