Kaleshwaram Probe: One central agency reaches Medigadda

In view of the urgency involved in the task assigned by the State government, the team reached Medigadda and started its investigation at the barrage.

Hyderabad: The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, one of the three central organisations tasked with further studies pertaining to structural issues in the barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, deputed a team of its experts to the State on Wednesday.

In view of the urgency involved in the task assigned by the State government, the team reached Medigadda and started its investigation at the barrage. It is expected to reach Annaram barrage on Wednesday night for its preliminary exercise on Thursday. The CWPRS will be working on the stability analysis of barrages, foundation investigations and reservoir competency along with the health diagnosis of dams. Specialized in hydraulic studies, the CWPRS will work on these key aspects to assess the life of the structures.

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It has carried out dam break studies for various projects, including Mallana Sagar, Khadakwasla system, Gandhamala dam, Kanhar dam and Tilaya Dam. Its studies also help assess the possible impact in the event of dam failures and to develop emergency action plans. The CWPRS is expected to complete the preliminary investigations in a couple of days. It would return to its headquarters to analyse the findings. Full-scale investigations would be carried on all the three barrages of Kaleshwaram project with the use of specialized equipment meant for the purpose, officials said.

The State government has made it clear to the central organisations that their studies must be completed in the shortest possible time so that the implementation agencies would be able to plan the priority rehabilitation works before the onset of monsoon.

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), which also received a request from the State government for carrying out further investigations on the three barrages, also responded positively. It had already furnished a list of tools and machinery required for investigating the lapses in the project. Some of the tools that are not available in the State would be procured from manufacturing units elsewhere in the country.

he Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute(NGRI), which is also expected to join the studies, could not respond immediately as its directors are preoccupied with key assignments in Chennai, officials said.