Kurnool is situated on the southern banks of the Tungabhadra and Hundri rivers in the central west part of Andhra Pradesh. Kurnool was the former capital of Andhra Pradesh from 1953 until 1956. It is the headquarters of the district.
LOCATION
It is located 330 Kms from Capital city. It is located 330 Kms from the Capital city of Andhra Pradesh. Kurnool is the district head quarters. It is located at 15.8333 0 N and 78.05 0 E. The average elevation from the sea level is about 273 m. It lies on the banks of Tungabhadra River. The other two rivers that flow through the city are- Neeva and Hundri.
CLIMATE AND RAINFALL
Kurnool City, in general, has a tropical climate; winter lasts from November to February, while summer lasts from March to June. The annual rainfall is 809.70 MM.
HISTORY
Little was known about Kurnool Town before 11th Century. The earliest knowledge of this settlement dates back to 11th Century. It is developed as transit place on the southern banks of the river Tungabhadra and was commonly known as ‘Kandenavolu’. It was a greasing place for the carts which used to transport stone for the construction of temples at Alampur from which the name ‘Kandenavolu’ was derived. It was ruled by Cholas and later by Kakatiya kings in the 12th and 13th Centuries. Later on it became an independent part of the country under Jagirdars. Late it came under the influence of Vijayanagar Kings and it was during the 16th Century that Achyuta Raya built the Kurnool Fort. During the 17th Century it was ruled by Gopal Raja. Abdul Wahab conquered king Gopal Raja and ruled over the country for 16 years. The town came under the influence of Moghal Emperor Aurangazeb in 1686. Later the town was ruled by Nawabs from Dawood Khan to Gulam Rasool Khan (1823). In 1839 the British Government took over control. In 1858 it was made over to a Collector under the General regulations. The British rule continued till 1947 during which period, Kurnool town was a part of Madras presidency. After separation of the 11 districts of Andhra from the composite of Madras state in 1953, Kurnool became the state Head Quarters on October 1, 1953. The Telugu speaking areas of erstwhile Hyderabad State were merged with Andhra Pradesh and then Andhra Pradesh State came into existence in November 1956, and the State Capital was shifted from Kurnool to Hyderabad. Kurnool has remained as District Head Quarters.
DEMOGRAPHY
As per 2011 census Kurnool has a population of 4,053,463 of which male and female were 2,039,227 and 2,014,236 respectively. The literacy rate is 77.37 percent. The population density of the city is 8700 per sq.km. The population growth is 14.85% as of 2011. The sex ratio of the city is 988 females for 1000 males.
URBAN POOR
Out of total population 4,60,330 in kurnool 1,54,367 live in slums. Majority of them are leading their life as daily wage labourers, under employed labourers, seasonal labourers etc. At present there are 104 settlements in the town, out of which 57 are notified and 47 are non-notified slums. The condition of living environment like roads, drainage facilities, housing, electricity, basic education, health are not bad but definitely needs improvement. Their participation in Government programmes like Janmma Bhoomi Mavooru Programme, Neeru-Chettu, Family Planning, Adult Education etc are immensely good, in fact they are the back bone to any kind of programme of the Government.
MEPMA Activities in Urban poor Settlements