KLIS barrages to be operated only after completion of repairs, safety clearance: Uttam

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme will not be operated until rehabilitation works are completed and certified by national authorities. He stressed that safety and sustainability take precedence over politics.

Nalgonda: Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday said the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) would be operated only after all rehabilitation works were completed and certified by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Addressing a press conference at Vijay Vihar near the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the Minister said the State government’s priority was ensuring safety, sustainability and protection of public assets rather than seeking political mileage.

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“These barrages will not be operated until every required rectification is completed. The rehabilitation plan will undergo stringent proof-checking by both the NDSA and the CWC before any decision is taken,” Uttam Kumar said.

He cautioned that any premature operation of the barrages without completing the necessary repairs could have serious consequences. He said nearly 40 villages, besides the temple town of Bhadrachalam and its famous shrine, could be at risk if the structures were put into operation without adequate safeguards.

The Minister said the government had adopted a scientific approach for the rehabilitation of the barrages. Fresh geotechnical investigations, non-destructive testing, Ground Penetrating Radar surveys, drone-based inspections and more than 100 boreholes had been undertaken to comprehensively assess the structural condition of the barrages, he stressed.

The Minister said the barrages were currently being maintained in an unloaded condition with all gates kept open, strictly in accordance with the recommendations of the National Dam Safety Authority.

According to Uttam Kumar Reddy, international experts, the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) and the Central Water Commission were jointly scrutinising the rehabilitation designs to ensure that all technical deficiencies were rectified before the barrages were recommissioned.

 

Nagarjuna Sagar dam safety top priority

The Minister said the maintenance and safe operation of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam would remain the State government’s highest priority. He directed irrigation officials to ensure timely maintenance of the dam, strengthen canal infrastructure and expedite pending irrigation projects. Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed officials to immediately prepare estimates for all essential maintenance works and submit them for early administrative approval.

He also asked engineers to identify canal stretches requiring concrete lining and execute the works without delay, taking advantage of the delayed and weak monsoon. In addition, he directed officials to prepare proposals for covering open canals passing through urban areas to prevent garbage dumping and improve public hygiene.