Andhra’s Polavaram project works face setback again: Upper cofferdam suffers major slide

The Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh has suffered another setback with a major slide at its upper cofferdam. Continuous rains, seepage, and recurring flood damage raise fresh concerns about its structural safety and delay the diaphragm wall works

Hyderabad: The Polavaram Project under construction on the Godavari River has once again faced structural issues, with a major slide reported at its upper cofferdam.

The incident, reported on Friday, affected an area about 10 feet wide and 7 to 8 feet deep, marking yet another setback for the project. Repeated structural issues are raising concerns about its construction quality in the backdrop of recurring floods in the Godavari River.

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The slide occurred on the upper side of the cofferdam, a structure designed to divert water until the main reservoir is completed. Emergency repair works were swiftly undertaken and officials claimed that the damaged section had been stabilised.

They said the issue was confined to the upper cofferdam only, with no downstream impact, as the buttress dam remained intact. The Godavari water level at Polavaram currently stands at +28 metres.

However, this is not an isolated incident. The Polavaram Project has faced recurring structural issues, particularly during heavy flooding. In August 2022, a similar slide damaged the upper cofferdam, after which the authorities raised its height by two metres and widened it to nine metres to avoid serious risks.

The latest slide occurred in the area where the height was increased earlier. It is feared that the special measures taken to strengthen the upper cofferdam may not have fully addressed the vulnerabilities.

Sources said continuous rainfall over the past 10 days led to floodwaters inundating the site, adding to seepage issues and requiring ongoing de-watering operations. The project has a history of serious setbacks during construction. In August 2020, massive floods with a flow of 21 lakh cusecs washed away the half-built upper cofferdam and caused severe scouring at two points of the diaphragm wall, which had been constructed 90 feet deep into the riverbed.

The damage posed a major challenge for engineers and delayed progress considerably. After Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu returned to power in 2024, he sought the expertise of international consultants, who recommended constructing a new diaphragm wall and reinforcing the upper cofferdam. Despite these efforts, the recent slide at the junction of the lower buttress dam and the raised upper cofferdam has raised fresh concerns about the project’s structural safety.

Critics argue that the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government’s claims of rapid progress on the Polavaram Project are at odds with ground realities. Sources said officials have tried to downplay the latest incident to avoid criticism even as seepage issues persist and floodwaters continue to hamper construction.

The ongoing diaphragm wall works, which are critical to the project’s completion, are now at risk of further delays due to the recent damage.