Hyderabad: The obsession of the past BRS government to showcase how successful the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme was could have led to the downfall and the current plight of the project, if the National Dam Safety Authority’s interim report on the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages is anything to go by.
In the interim report that the NDSA submitted to the state irrigation department, the Central government agency said that damages were observed to the downstream cement concrete blocks and apron of the Medigadda barrage after the 2019 monsoon, soon after the barrage was inaugurated in June the same year.
Despite this, “the impounded water was not released for repair and rectification, instead the barrage reservoir continued to be used for its stated purpose,” the report said.
Though incidents of damage to the structures of the barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla were observed in the subsequent years too, no full-fledged repairs were taken up as the water storage had to be maintained as per the then government’s instructions.
It may be recalled that the then BRS government and then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who also held the irrigation portfolio in his second term of office, had taken great pride in turning the river Godavari into a “jeeva nadi” (perennial river).
In its report, the NDSA also made it clear that inspections of the barrage by the NDSA team, have shown that the failure in Block-7 of the barrage — which suffered failure and portions of which sank by more than 1.2 metres — “is quite extensive.”
The report further said that the portion of Block 7 of the barrage in which eight radial gates were stuck because of the sinking and tilting of the piers, “is in a highly-distressed state of condition.”
To try and save Block 7, all the gates have to be lifted fully before the onset of the monsoon, the report said and added that, if need be, the steel plates of the gates should be cut.
Though the report did not say this in as many words, engineers familiar with the structure and its construction told Deccan Chronicle that four of the piers – Nos. 17, 18, 19, and 20 – in Block 7 will eventually have to be taken down along with the rest of their associated structures and rebuilt. “But that can be done only after the monsoon season ends and the flows in the river fall to low levels,” one of the engineers said.
The NDSA’s interim report was sought by the Congress government which has made it clear on multiple occasions that only after the NDSA recommendations are received that steps would be initiated on the way forward at Medigadda and the other two barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.
It is expected that the report would also be studied by the Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission probing alleged irregularities in the project execution and construction. Justice Ghose, who visited the Medigadda barrage on Tuesday, during an interaction with reporters there mentioned that he would study the NDSA report.
The NDSA, with respect to the Annaram and Sundilla barrages recommended complete replacement of the flood dissipation blocks and structures as well as repairs to the aprons. It shall be the responsibility of the Irrigation and Command Area Development department of the government to ensure “adequate resource mobilisation and timely execution of works before the onset of the coming monsoon season”.
