NDSA seeks more information to suggest interim rehabilitation work on Kaleshwaram barrages
Experts held extensive interactions for 3 days eliciting more information on various aspects of Kaleshwaram barrages; sought data on management of gates during floods, including operation schedule and engineers responsible for tasks
Ateam of experts from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) led by former Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC) J. Chandrashekhar Iyer has sought more information from the Irrigation department for recommending temporary measures for rehabilitation of Medigadda and two other barrages of the Kaleshwaram project before the onset of monsoon season.
According to the Irrigation department authorities, the additional information was sought by the team following their (department) request to make interim recommendations to prevent further damage to the structures during monsoon or flood season.
The NDSA team held extensive interactions with all stakeholders here for three days from March 20 after their initial meeting on March 6 and visit to the
barrages on March 7 and 8.
During interactions with engineers and other officials of different wings such as investigation, design, construction, quality control, operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Irrigation department, National Dam Safety Authori
ty experts were said to have tried to elicit information on the change of location of barrages from the initially placed ones and whether the decision was taken after conducting necessary geological tests.
They sought to know from the department engineers — both in service and retired who were associated with the construction of three barrages of Kaleshwaram — on why they had built them as rigid structures after designing them as floating ones by laying more focus on design, operation and maintenance. They were said to have sought information on management of gates during floods, including operation schedule and the engineers responsible for different tasks.
Another agency
Department engineers were learnt to have told the National Dam Safety Authority team that it was the department that designed Annaram and Sundilla barrages completely but due to paucity of time, a construction agency’s help was taken in the case of Medigadda Barrage.
The engineers were further questioned about using secant piles instead of sheet piles for construction of barrages and who had taken the decision to change it.
No proper inspection
On being asked why they had failed to identify or detect leakages, the department engineers are understood to have told the NDSA team that inspection and proper maintenance works before and after every flood season could have averted the damage.
Secant piles
The team was also told that the proposal for using secant piles instead of sheet piles for Medigadda was first mooted by the work agency following a study by NIT Warangal against the initial format.
Apart from engineers in service, NDSA experts collected info from retired engineers of Central Designs Organisation, two former EngineersinChief C. Muralidhar and N. Venkateshwarlu and Director General of Vigilance and Enforcement Department Rajiv Ratan.