State Calls NDSA Findings on Medigadda \'Unsubstantiated\'

HYDERABAD: The state irrigation department on Saturday dismissed the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report on the Medigadda barrage that had listed several flaws in planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance, calling the findings “unsubstantiated” or “made without full appreciation of the facts.”

The department, in its response to NDSA chairman Sanjay Kumar Sibal, who addressed a letter and the NDSA report to Rajat Kumar, special chief secretary, irrigation, said: “We have studied your comments and suggestions comprehensively, and noted that many of them are either unsubstantiated or made without a full appreciation of the facts.”

The NDSA, whose report was made public on Friday, had also said that along with the Medigadda barrage, it had serious concerns over the safety of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme’s (Klis) barrages at Sundilla and Annaram.

Rajat Kumar, in his reply to Sibal, rejected the contention that not all documents sought by NDSA were submitted. He said: “All documents desired by NDSA were shown to the committee during the inspection and subsequent interactive meetings. Subsequently, another NDSA committee letter was received on October 27, 2023 evening, requesting to furnish the said 20 documents by October 29, 2023.”

He said despite not being given “working days” to prepare the “considerably voluminous” reports, 17 of the documents were emailed to the committee on October 29, while the rest were sent on November 1.

Rajat Kumar said: “A comprehensive indictment of the Kaleshwaram project was communicated to us in a hasty manner.”

Hitting back at the NDSA, saying the Telangana irrigation department was “unable to agree with NDSA conclusions”, Rajat Kumar added that “conclusions” were arrived at on causes of failure of ‘Laxmi’ Medigadda barrage “without any investigative work by the committee.”

“Correct causes can be determined only after proper inspection of the foundation and other related structures, which are currently under water. Only after this investigative work is completed, we would be able to assess the correct reasons for the sinking of the piers in the barrage,” he said.

With reference to the design of the raft foundations of the barrage and secant piles, the prototype for the flexible joint used at Medigadda was developed by the Central Water Commission and was used in the Tapovan project in Uttarakhand, he said.

Listing out the steps taken to ensure quality control, another issue raised by the NDSA — which said these reports were not submitted — Rajat Kumar said materials used in the secant piling “are tested regularly as per IS codes for cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, steel in the field labs and the cube compressive strengths are done” as per BIS standards.

Based on the work done on this front, Rajat Kumar said NDSA comments on quality control are “unsubstantiated.”

The department also questioned the NDSA seeking pre and post-monsoon check reports on the barrage the inclusion of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, were included on the list of specified dams as of July 12, 2023, and hence “pre-monsoon inspection could not be carried out. Other inspection reports were already submitted and a post-monsoon inspection will be carried out in November 2023.”

Rajat Kumar assured the NDSA chairman that operations of the Medigadda barrage would be restarted after the agency (which built the barrage) rectified the damages. He also said NDSA’s concerns over Annaram and Sundilla barrages were unsubstantiated as the expert committee did not visit them. All necessary measures will be taken, he said.

Rajat Kumar, in his letter, said the “Kaleshwaram project was approved by the Technical Advisory Committee of the jal shakti ministry” on June 6, 2018, after thoroughly examining all aspects. He added that the CWC also had described the project as an “engineering marvel”.