Telangana: Medigadda stands strong even as floods strike

The barrage, a crucial component of the Kaleshwaram project, with all its flood gates opened is able to discharge over 3.70 lakh cusecs of water without any signs of distress

Hyderabad: Unaffected by a malicious campaign unleashed by the Congress prior to the last Assembly polls last year, and one which has continued ever since, the Medigadda Barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is standing strong despite rapidly rising flood waters.

The barrage, a crucial component of the Kaleshwaram project, with all its flood gates opened is able to discharge over 3.70 lakh cusecs of water without any signs of distress even on the impacted piers in the seventh block, according to officials who took stock of the status of the barrage which is in flood at 6 pm on Saturday.

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Optical targets that were installed, as recommended by the NDSA, one each at upstream and downstream points and at the middle portion of every piers, are being continuously monitored and their readings are recorded at regular intervals. The barrage’s structures including the piers, secant piles and parametric joints have shown no sign of distress and displacement so far, they said.

The NDSA in its interim report had recommended several steps in respect of the radial gates from 15 to 22 in Block 7, which could not be opened easily due to the sinking of piers. Further, the panel has recommended separate measures in case of Blocks 1-6 and 8. The interim works could be completed partially as the barrage started receiving inflows by the last week of June. Of the 3.7 lakh cusecs of flood flow, the net contribution from the upper reaches of main Godavari is only up to 10,000 cusecs. Rest of the flooding owed to the heavy rains in the catchment of the Pranahita. The outflow from Medigadda is also in the same range. It was considering the potential of the Pranahita that the barrage was constructed at Medigadda.

The Sammaka Sagar and Sitarama Sagar, which were almost dry till recently had come alive within a span of just one week under the influence of the Pranahita. As for the scope for resuming pumping operations at Medigadda, officials have reportedly assured the NDSA on the feasibility aspects. They made it clear that the natural flow at the barrage would support lifting of Godavari water up to two TMCs a day without the need for any cofferdam or any makeshift arrangement for impounding water at this moment. The need for putting up a weir kind of structure would arise by mid-October as the water level recedes in the river.

Dismissing the contentions of the Congress leadership and Ministers who had almost ruled out the scope for revival of the project, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday said the rising Godavari at Medigadda had helped in washing out the sinister designs of the ruling Congress while the barrage remained intact. He asserted that the Medigadda barrage, which was almost written off by the Congress government, disproved the Congress campaign by standing resolute and rock solid. It has survived heavy flooding in the river once again. The colossal barrage structure built on Godavari remained unharmed by the flood exposing the accusations that Rs.1 lakh crore had gone down the drain with the construction of the Kaleshwaram project, he said.

The project became a reality because of the steely resolve of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao with which it was implemented with an urge to address the drought and deprival in the State. Acknowledging Kaleshwaram as a man-made wonder, he hailed Chandrashekhar Rao on behalf of the people of Telangana for his monumental contributions to the State.