Hyderabad: No foolhardy decisions should be taken at Medigadda barrage until the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) completes its study as sought by the state government, and provides its interim report on the way forward, said Sriram Vedire, adviser to the Union jal shakti minister.
Answering questions at a press conference here on Thursday, Vedire said the NDSA team, constituted on Thursday, would visit the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages next week. Asked if the Jal Shaki ministry was aware of the crises, he said they came to know only after the cracking up and sinking of a portion of Medigadda barrage came to light on October 21, 2023.
It (BRS government) was keeping things hidden. It was the jal shakti ministry that took the lead and rushed a team of NDSA officials to Medigadda immediately afterwards, Vedire noted
“When they came, they could not inspect the damaged portion as the then government claimed that there was water in the river and that the section of the barrage could be reached. All they had to do was to provide a boat, but they did not do that,” Vedire said.
He said the BRS government did not give all the reports that the NDSA sought, including geotechnical reports that would have provided critical information on the strata on which the barrage was built. Without that, nothing much could be done.
Now, NDSA is ready to do these studies on its own, Vedire said. The government should give the NDSA all the reports sought, so the team can get to work immediately. If this is done, NDSA can give a preliminary report in one month and provide ways and means on how to move forward,” Vedire said.
