Srisailam dam’s repairs back in spotlight, post-monsoon review due in a month

Srisailam Dam, India’s second-largest hydroelectric project, faces critical structural vulnerabilities, including an eroded plunge pool and silted riverbed. Despite warnings from NDSA, DRIP-funded repairs are delayed, and the issue was overlooked during PM Modi’s Andhra Pradesh visit.

Hyderabad: With a post-monsoon assessment of its structural integrity due in a month’s time, the rehabilitation of the Srisailam Dam – India’s second-largest hydroelectric power station irrigating vast tracts of land across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh – is high on the agenda.

Surprisingly, the aging infrastructure escaped the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Srisailam temple on Thursday. As part of his Andhra Pradesh tour, Modi paid homage at the Sree Shivaji Spoorthi Kendra in Srisailam, unveiling a memento to commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s historic 1677 pilgrimage to Srisailam,a sacred site.

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Modi would have had a glimpse of the 512-meter-long gravity dam, constructed in the 1980s as a hydroelectric project from his helicopter. Today, it stands full to the brim, impounding over 203 TMC of water even in mid-October as against its gross capacity of 215 TMC. Yet, beneath this vast reservoir, critical flaws remain concealed.

A gaping plunge pool eroded by decades of flooding, cracks in structures, and a silted riverbed, all remained submerged and out of sight. Modi inaugurated development projects worth Rs 13,430 crore, from drone manufacturing hubs to petroleum pipelines, hailing the momentum in Andhra Pradesh’s infrastructure push.

However, the dam’s urgent need for repairs – a concern eluding solution for years – went unmentioned in his speeches or agenda. An irrigation official, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed optimism that the Prime Minister might request a detailed status report on the Srisailam project on returning to Delhi.

The dam’s vulnerabilities have drawn repeated warnings from authorities. In March this year, the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) issued a stern directive to the Andhra Pradesh government, mandating completion of urgent plunge pool repairs by May 31 to prevent a potential catastrophe.

The erosion traces back to the unprecedented 2009 floods, when inflows peaked at 26 lakh cusecs – over and above the dam’s spillway capacity of 19 lakh cusecs. If neglected further, experts warn, could trigger cascading failures affecting downstream projects like Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala.

The NDSA’s deadlines remain unmet, even as studies by the Central Water Commission (CWC) – which scrutinized the dam’s weaknesses – recommended comprehensive repairs. In July, Irrigation Adviser N. Kannayya Naidu conducted an on-site inspection, highlighting vulnerabilities in the spillway gates.

Experts have urged immediate fortification under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), a World Bank-assisted initiative. Funding allocations include Rs 108 crore for approach roads and protective measures, with an additional Rs 780 crore earmarked specifically for the plunge pool remediation.

However, these deadlines have lapsed due to delays in fund disbursement. The total mobilization requirement under DRIP is estimated at over Rs 900 crore.Telangana’s Irrigation Department has repeatedly cautioned both the Andhra Pradesh government and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, emphasizing that prolonged delays threaten the interests of both states.