Further, it was learned that the explanation by the then BRS government — that the sinking of a portion of the Medigadda barrage was a result of the unprecedented 2022 floods in the Godavari River — held no water.
The seeds of the barrage’s destruction were sown before its inauguration when a cofferdam built to divert the river’s water to enable the construction of the project, was not dismantled and the material removed.
“Removal of the cofferdam takes a few weeks but the then BRS government was in a hurry to have the project inaugurated by Chandrashekar Rao. As per the contract, L&T was to dismantle the cofferdam. It did not do so. Despite knowing that the cofferdam must be removed first, the BRS government went ahead with filling up the Medigadda barrage,” revealed sources in the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) wing that is probing the sinking of the piers.
However, it was claimed at that time that the cofferdam was removed when everyone involved with the barrage construction, whether in L&T or in the BRS government, was aware that that was not the case. “Rule 14 of the contract between the irrigation department and the joint venture company formed by L&T and PES clearly states that all cofferdams are to be removed before making the barrages functional,” the sources said.
To nail the claim, and check the works claimed to have been completed in the records with the ground reality, the V&E wing has requisitioned satellite imagery of the project area from the National Remote Sensing Agency (NSRA). Quarterly imagery from 2018 onwards in various bandwidths — to show different features —has been sought to start with. As the investigation progresses, there is a likelihood of seeking weekly, or even date-specific satellite imagery, the sources said.
Preliminary investigations have shown that following the high-speed filling up of the Medigadda barrage to ‘prepare’ it for inauguration, some of the cofferdam’s debris was washed down and got lodged at the barrage structure, while some went through the barrage gates during the subsequent floods during the Pranahita river’s floods in August 2019.
The barrage is built downstream of the confluence of Pranahita and Godavari rivers. Though the damage started becoming visible in 2019, and despite reports from site engineers to their higher-ups that stress cracks were beginning to form, no action was taken.
Incidentally, Chandrashekar Rao, on August 7, 2019, visited Medigadda Barrage to check the flood situation. According to a news release that day from the then Chief Minister’s Office, he “instructed the irrigation higher officials to be alert and cautious regarding maintaining the Kaleshwaram project barrages. He has instructed them to take all precautions and measures while maintaining the gates, as lakhs of cusecs of heavy floodwater is coming from Pranahita.”
According to that news release, Rao also “asked the officials to open the gates based on the floodwater being received and maintain the water level in the river. After the floods have receded in Godavari, all the gates should be closed.” The release further said, “The CM has congratulated the L&T and irrigation officials for completing the Medigadda barrage on time and made it functional this season.”
The sources said claims, after a portion of the barrage sank on October 21, 2023, that this was a result of the unprecedented 2022 floods in Godavari, are nothing more than a poor excuse that does not stand any scientific scrutiny. “The real damage began when the cofferdam was allowed to stay before the 2019 inauguration, added by the 2019 floods,” the sources said.
