Experts inspect damaged Kaddam project in Nirmal

Nirmal: A team of experts from the Irrigation department inspected Kaddam Narayana Reddy project, which faced near breach-situation due to the recent incessant rains in upstream areas in Kaddampeddur mandal centre on Monday. People of 12 villages were evacuated, considering the dangerous situation.

Superintending Engineer Sushil Pandey and Executive Engineer of the project Rajasekhar said that the experts visited the project and gathered information about the condition of crest gates, electric motors, gear boxes and other apparatus of the reservoir. They stated that the experts would prepare a report and submit it to the higher authorities.

The officials informed that repairs of the project would be taken up as per instructions and suggestions of the authorities. The experts of Engineer-in-Chief and Operations and Maintenance wings of the irrigation department took part in the assessment of damage caused by the rains. They inspected a main canal which was breached due to the unprecedented floods.

Project received inflows by 5 lakh cusecs

The project, built across Kadem river in 1958, brimmed with copious inflows. It received inflows of 5.09 lakh cusecs on July 13 and the water level reached to 704 feet as against the full reservoir level of 700 feet for the first time in the history of the project, panicking locals and authorities of the irrigation department. Surplus water was discharged downstream by lifting 17 gates out of the total of 18.

Termed as one of red letter days in the history of the project, the reservoir saw drastic outflows by 3 lakh cusecs when compared to the designed flood discharge of 2.50 lakh cusecs. Retired authorities of the irrigation department predicted that the situation was out of control and warned that the dam could breach at any moment. Dwellers of Kaddampeddur, Devunigudem, Rampur, Munyala and Godisherala and many other villages were shifted to safer places at night.