NDSA flags major structural flaws in Kaleshwaram project
Hyderabad: Telangana government is expected to discuss the critical report from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in the cabinet meeting and take a call on the project soon.
The final report submitted by the eight-member committee of NDSA, headed by former Central Water Commission chairman J Chandrasekhar to the state government, has highlighted structural issues in the three barrages — Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla.
Under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, a high-level committee was formed on March 3, 2024, to investigate the KLIP barrages. After conducting comprehensive site inspections of the multi-stage lift irrigation project, the committee concluded that it found severe structural issues across the three barrages.
The report said that the seventh block of the Medigadda barrage has suffered irreversible damages after its piers from 16 to 21 sank and the damage to the raft and piers has left the gates unserviceable. These damages could affect other blocks of the Medigadda barrage as well. The Telangana government has been advised against using the (block 7) structures for the operation of gates again.
The committee of experts said the sand piping phenomenon, cavity formation underneath the raft, construction flaws and design deficiencies found in block 7 of the barrage could also affect other blocks. These deficiencies have been blamed for the sinking of piers at the Medigadda barrage.
“The damages to block 7 have resulted in the barrage becoming non-functional for diverting water. Even the bridge that spanned over it has become non-functional. Since this block is not the first or last block of the barrage, the movement of the gantry crane over the whole barrage width has also been stopped. Due to such sinking, not only has block 7 suffered irreversible damages, but its safe removal would also pose challenges as it may cause damage to adjacent blocks,” the report stated.
The report also said that CC blocks and the launching apron in the downstream have either settled, been damaged, dislodged, or washed far away at many locations along the length of the barrage.
Additionally, the upstream barrages Annaram and Sundilla have also developed structural issues which are “rendering them unserviceable.”
The investigation found that lack of a proper Operation and Maintenance (O&M) manual impacted the functioning of hydro-mechanical components of all the three barrages.
The report added that the construction work on all three barrages started even as the Kaleshwaram project’s detailed project report (DPR) was still under appraisal by the Central Water Commission. It also noted the substantial deviations from approved project parameters.
“All three barrages require comprehensive investigation from multiple angles,” it said.
