Vijayawada: The multipurpose Polavaram irrigation project’s earth-cum-rock-fill dam works would begin from July. It takes nearly a year and a half to complete the works.
Water resources authorities are getting ready to take up ECRF Gap-1 works spread over about 560 metres in July. They are expecting to complete the works by December. Later, they will take up ECRF Gap-2 works spread over 1,400 metres in April/May 2024 and are confident of completing them in a year.
The total length of the ECRF dam will be nearly 1,960 metres with rock filling on either extreme sides. In the middle, black soil will be used to fill up the space. The base width of the dam will be 360 metres at plus 15 metres, and 240 metres at plus 20 metres. The top width of the dam will be 10 metres while it will come up at a height of 52.32 metres.
At present, the authorities are taking up the strengthening works on scoured portions of the diaphragm wall by taking up sand filing and vibro compaction. They are expecting to complete these works by June so that they can take up the main dam works.
Water resources authorities want to continue the works on the diaphragm wall by taking up construction of a parallel wall in place of the damaged portions and go ahead with the works even during the rainy season. Already, cofferdams both on upper and lower sides of the upcoming ECRF dam were constructed to prevent water entering the construction area.
However, they have arranged 52 pumps to take up dewatering in case Godavari floodwater enters the construction area. Fifty more pumps are to be erected shortly as part of the preparatory works to continue the dam works uninterrupted.
Polavaram project chief engineer B. Sudhakar Babu said, “We are going to start ECRF dam works from July in Gaps 1 and 2 in a phased manner with an aim to complete the whole dam works in 1.5 years provided there are no hurdles.”
