Sinking of Medigadda pillars due to changes in riverbed: Engineers

The barrage pillars will be repaired and brought back to the previous condition as per the instructions and advice of the Central Dam Safety Authority, they said. 

Hyderabad: Engineers of the State Irrigation Department investigating the sagging of piers at the Medigadda Barrage have said the incident may have happened due to the changes in the riverbed and that it could not be attributed to any other factor. Calling it ‘unfortunate’, they said neither the State government nor the engineers wanted such incidents to happen.

Engineers of L&T Company and the State Irrigation Department have already started the rehabilitation work at Medigadda Barrage. Remedial measures were being taken. The barrage pillars will be repaired and brought back to the previous condition as per the instructions and advice of the Central Dam Safety Authority, they said.

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They said the Kaleswaram Project report was prepared by WAPCOS, a Central government agency and it was approved by the Technical Advisory Council (TAC) of the union Ministry of Water Resources. Prior to the approval of the Project Report by the TAC, the Central Water Board approved it by ensuring that all aspects of hydrology, irrigation planning, estimates, design, inter-state agreements were correct.

Even the Kannepalli and Annaram pump houses of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme were submerged during the 2022 floods in Godavari. They were renovated within 3 months and water supply to the standing crops continued without any disruption in the schedule.

There were issues with the Devadula project too when pipelines burst in the undivided State. The state engineers could perfectly rehabilitate the project by attending on the problems. The officials assured that despite the problems with the piers, the coffer dam was being built covering the impacted stretch of the barrage and pumping of water from Medigadda would be resumed soon. Water supply would be given to the entire Yasangi ayacut of Kaleshwaram project.

All KLIS reservoirs full

All reservoirs that are part of the KLIS have been filled by the government well in advance making available 87 TMC in Sriramsagar, 5.94 TMC in Saraswati Barrage, 20 TMC in Ellampalli, 23 TMC in Mid Manair, 20 TMC in Lower Manair, 2.17 TMC in Annapurna, 1.66 TMC in Ranganayaka Sagar, 15 TMC in Mallanna Sagar and 15 TMC in Kondapochamma Sagar.