Govt. will restore Medigadda, two other barrages and bring them back to use, says Uttam
Action will be taken against all those responsible for the fiasco based on NDSA report: Minister; experts seek data including hydrology reports
Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has assured the sixmember National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) team that arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday that the State Government would extend all cooperation to it in its task to find out the causes for the damage suffered by Medigadda Barrage of the Kaleshwaram project and also to study the status of other two barrages: Annaram and Sundilla.
On their arrival from Delhi and Pune, the NDSA team members had a meeting with the authorities and engineers of the Irrigation Department, including those given the responsibility of Kaleshwaram project. The team leader and former Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC) J. Chandrashekhar Iyer is said to have sought various data including hydrology reports and drawings pertaining to the three barrages.
Official sources stated that the NDSA experts would take up subsurface study of the strata at the Medigadda Barrage piers that have drifted on October 21 last year, resulting in development of huge cracks on piers as well as the gates hoisting area, forcing the authorities to empty the barrage completely. Following the development of piping, seepage and leakages at a few places in the immediate downstream of the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, the authorities have dewatered them too.
The Minister explained the damage suffered by the barrages, particularly Medigadda, through a power point presentation to the NDSA experts team and requested them to investigate the causes for the failure of the barrages thoroughly and submit their report in the earliest possible time, instead of taking the specified four months.
He stated that the State Government was committed to rehabilitate and restore Medigadda and the other two barrages to bring them back to use based on the recommendations of the experts’ panel.
Based on the NDSA report, the State Government would also fix the responsibility on the engineers, authorities and others including contract/ work agencies concerned for the failure of the structures and take necessary action against them.
Speaking later, Mr. Uttam Reddy said they had requested the panel to suggest measures to be taken before the flood season.