Dam leak worries Karapuzha residents

People say the leak detected in 2010 remains unattended

March 07, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:45 am IST - KALPETTA:

Seepage:The leak is on the left baseline of the earthen dam acrossthe Karapuzha river in Wayanad.

Seepage:The leak is on the left baseline of the earthen dam acrossthe Karapuzha river in Wayanad.

The ‘laxity’ of the Water Resources Department in repairing a leak on the Karapuzha dam, an earthen dam built across the Karapuzha river in Wayanad, has raised concern among those residing near the site.

The leak is on the left baseline of the dam adjacent to a pipe from the infiltration gallery and a portion of the dam has subsided after the area got soaked.

Villagers said the leak was detected in 2010 and the flow of water had increased considerably since then. But, the authorities were yet to take any measure to repair it.

When the villagers brought the issue before the authorities, a team of experts from the National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode, inspected the site nearly five years ago and submitted a report to the Chief Engineer of the Investigation Designing and Research Board (IDRB) of the department.

Later, the IDRB suggested installing a system to measure seepage, rebuilding the subsided area, and installing an open drain after removing the porous pipe.

Sources at the Karapuzha dam said though the government awarded the work to Chandragiri Construction Company Private Ltd. in September 2013, at an estimate of Rs.58.5 lakh, the firm did not begin the work.

As the company did not respond to the notices, the department issued a risk and cost termination notice to it recently.

“We are yet to measure the volume of seepage as no equipment had been installed during the construction of the dam,” the sources said.

The department had also issued a directive to conduct a 2D resistivity imaging study to asses the seepage impact.

Though the issue may not be a serious one now, if unattended it may have serious consequences, an expert said.

The preliminary estimate in 1978 for completing the project was Rs.7.6 crore.

So far, Rs.300 crore had been spent on the project, which is yet to be fully commissioned.

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