No structural fault found at Lakshmi Barrage: Engineer-in-Chief

Engineer in Chief of Irrigation and Command Area Development Department C Muralidhar said the restoration of the portion of the barrage where few pillars were damaged would be completed by this summer

Hyderabad: Engineer in Chief of Irrigation and Command Area Development Department C Muralidhar asserted that there is no structural fault in Lakshmi Barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). He said the restoration of the portion of the barrage where few pillars were damaged would be completed by this summer.

He led the I&CAD officials team at a three-hour marathon meeting with the six-member team of National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) led by Anil Jain and officials from L&T contractors who built the Barrage at Jala Soudha on Wednesday. He reiterated that all the design and quality tests were conducted thoroughly before commencing the construction work and also before starting the Barrage operations.

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Speaking to the media, Muralidhar said that there was a problem in the 20th pillar of seventh block. “We suspect sand could have led to sagging of a pier. However, the department received quality of sand and quality of construction certifications,” he said.

He informed that the Central team sought records of the project. A preliminary report will be submitted to the the Jal Shakti ministry, along with an action plan for the I&CAD and the L&T. “First we will drain all the remaining water from the reservoir and isolate the spot. I am sure that there is no structural problem. If there are any structural problems, we would have known about them in the first season itself, but because the foundation was in sand there could be some problems overlooked by the engineers,” he said.

Muralidhar stated that further decision pertaining to restoration works, will be taken after the flood recedes from the coffer dam. He assured that the rest of the Kaleshwaram project would operate normally to supply irrigation water to farmers in the current season.