Total rehabilitation of Kaddam project on the cards

The key component of the rehabilitation programme are the spillways of the project. Proposal for total reconstruction of the spillways is under consideration.

Hyderabad: A plan for total rehabilitation of the Kaddam Narayan Reddy project is under active consideration and its implementation, according to the preliminary estimates, is likely to cost Rs.640 crore to Rs.700 crore, according to top Irrigation officials. The State government is seized of the issue and is considering the rehabilitation of the total project with a sense of urgency, they said.

The key component of the rehabilitation programme are the spillways of the project. Proposal for total reconstruction of the spillways is under consideration. The spillways component alone would be costing about Rs 600 crore while the rehabilitation of other structures including the crest gates is likely to cost nearly Rs.100 crore.

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In the first phase, the crest gates will be attended to while continuing the irrigation support to the ayacut. The counter weight technology with which the crest gates were being operated had now become redundant. Only two countries- Germany and Russia, from where the technology originated, had been using it for long. But they too had stopped using it.

The counter weights of the crest gates would be removed as part of the first phase rehabilitation programme. All the 18 crest gates- nine of Indian technology and nine others of German technology- would be attended to in different spells. Steps would be taken to ensure that the Rabi farmers would not be affected any way.

The work on the spillways would be taken up at the end of the season and the government is firm on implementing it in a time bound manner. Certain investigations have to be undertaken to assess the stability of key structures. The State Dam Safety review panel headed by former Central Water Commission chairman A B Pandya also inspected the status of the project and submitted its recommendations. The report is before the government for consideration.

The reservoir, one of the oldest projects in the State was constructed across Kaddam river that originates from the hills of Dedra reserved forest in Adilabad district, is highly prone to flash floods. Taken up in 1949, the construction was completed in 1958. It witnessed unprecedented flood the same year (August 31, 2058) resulting in breach of the dam.

The flood flow observed was in the order of over 5.19 lakh cusecs as against the designed capacity of 2.5 lakh cusecs. It was reconstructed with an increase spill way capacity adding nine more flood gates to the existing nine. The gross storage capacity was also increased by raising the full reservoir level (FRL) from 212.10 metres to 213.30 metres.

Similar flash floods occurred in Kaddam river in 1995 and again in 2022. Even as the flood flow on both occasions was over 6 lakh cusecs, the project could withstand the flood fury. Again on July 27 this year, the project received unprecedented inflows resulting operational problems with three spillway gates.

At the behest of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, the Dam Safety Authority had plunged into action and recommended alternatives for strengthening the project. The rehabilitation work on the project will commence soon, asserted the officials.