A six-member expert committee appointed by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) conducted a field investigation at the Medigadda (Laxmi) barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalapally district on Tuesday.
The expert committee headed by NDSA chairman Anil Jain examined the barrage to determine the reasons for the sinking of a few piers (pillars) of the barrage on October 21.
Amid tight security arrangements, the panel members made an on-spot assessment of the site where a small portion of the bridge of the barrage “caved in” on Saturday evening. They spent more than two hours on the barrage and later interacted with KLIP Engineer-in-Chief Nalla Venkateshwarlu and L&T company officials at the site, sources added.
The field inspection by the expert team follows Union Minister G.Kishan Reddy’s letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday seeking a detailed field investigation into the incident as per the provisions of the Dam Safety Act. The expert team is expected to submit its report to the Ministry on its findings in a day or two.
The barrage site has virtually turned into a security fortress as local police along with Central para-military forces maintaining strict vigil at inter-State check post at Ambatpally near the barrage.
Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.PC are in force at the barrage which is closed for traffic and visitors since Saturday night.
The water level in the barrage receded to 0.614 tmcft as the stored water was let out by lifting the gates of the barrage in the last three days. The water level in the barrage was around 10 tmcft on Saturday evening as against its storage capacity of 16.17 tmcft.
The stored water was discharged in a phased manner to allow technical assessment of the damage to pier 20 of the barrage. The Godavari river was in free flow condition at the barrage late on Tuesday evening. The inflows and outflows into the barrage were recorded at 22,500 cusecs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Congress Kisan Cell State coordinator Shashi Bhushan Kache said the sinking of a few piers of the Medigadda barrage in less than five years after its inauguration triggered concern over the safety of the structure. The matter needs to be investigated on a war footing to assess the extent and exact cause of the damage, he said, saying the cascading effects, if any, on the adjoining piers of the barrage should be studied scientifically.
Repairs to the damaged piers must be carried out under the supervision of experts to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and avert loss of life and property in the villages located in the tribal mandal of Palimela and its adjoining mandals in both Telangana and Maharashtra.
