Peddavagu project to be referred to NDSA for review

The modernisation component of the project, proposed almost seven years ago, but could not find its way forward would be posed for the assistance under the Command Area Development and Water management programme.

Hyderabad: The Peddavagu project which developed major breaches twice after its construction will be referred to the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) for a review. The head works of the project which are likely to cost over Rs 45 crore to Rs 50 crore would be posed for assistance under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) launched by the Central Water Commission (CWC) with the financial aid of the World Bank.

The modernisation component of the project, proposed almost seven years ago, but could not find its way forward would be posed for the assistance under the Command Area Development and Water management programme (CADWM). It may cost Rs.180 crore to Rs 200 crore.

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The project, which is under the jurisdiction of the Godavari River Management Board, is jointly owned by the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. As they failed to arrive at a consensus on cost sharing for implementing the modernisation programme, it was put on the back burner. Had it been implemented without delay, damages caused by heavy flood this year could have been avoided, felt the officials of both the States.

GRMB chairman Mukesh Kumar Sinha wanted Telangana and AP to take up the modernisation of the canal system and other infrastructure of the project on their own in their respective areas and pose it for the CADWM assistance separately so that no inter-state issues would come in the way of its implementation. He assured both the States of his support to get the modernisation programme considered under the CADWM.

Immediate repairs and plugging of the breach were expected to cost Rs 3.5 crore. The GRMB chairman wanted both the states to complete the immediate repairs with a sense of urgency. He also recommended hydrological studies by involving public sector consultancies such as WAPCOS for assessing further the peak flood flow in the Peddavagu stream and its impact on the dam structure.

The project had received over 80,000 cusecs, almost double the designed capacity of the structure, resulting in breach on the left flank of the project causing extensive damage.

Assessing once again its peak discharges that a dam must handle is essential for its design and safety. This involves studying historical flood data and predicting future flood events. This task, as it was agreed upon at the meeting, could be handled better by the National Dam Safety Authority.