Quoting reports received from the Irrigation Department, the Committee said 77 out of 85 radial gates in Medigadda Barrage have been successfully lifted.
This exercise has to be completed in advance, taking adequate precautions. By raising the gates, water storage at an undesired level can be avoided, even in the event of heavy flooding.
Known for its highest pumping and motor capacity in the world and its support of the largest surge pool facilities, just one of the seven pumps was switched on, resuming its operation around 4 pm on Sunday.
If the complexities involved in the issue are to be taken into consideration, nothing of that sort is going to happen before March 2025, senior official in the averred.
In addition to the regular maintenance works, the NDSA team that visited the project some time ago, had also identified certain shortcomings in the maintenance.
The NDSA expert team has made significant progress in gathering information for its investigation into the structural issues reported in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme's barrages.
The team wanted the heads and representatives of various agencies involved in the implementation of the project to make themselves available in Delhi for further interaction and questioning.
The team insisted on comprehensive information on as many as 20 aspects pertaining to the designs and construction of the barrages, according to senior officials.
The six-member Committee was constituted to study the designs and construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS)
The BJP government at the Centre was making use of the NDSA like other national agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and CAG to target the rival political parties including the BRS , Prakash Rao said.
The committee will hold discussions with the stakeholders of the project for holistic appreciation of the site-related issues and ascertain the hydraulic, structural and geo-technical aspects of the three barrages.
Vedire Sriram, advisor to the Union Jal Shakti Minister and chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, voiced criticism toward the State government for its failure to furnish requested details to the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) for a thorough investigation into the Medigadda incident.
The State government had made a request to the NDSA for deputing its team for an end-to-end inspection of the Annaram barrage where fresh seepage was detected last week.
