A brave engineer working with Telangana Genco acted quicky and de-watered the flooded 30 MW hydro power generation unit located on Nagarjunasagar Left Bank canal, to avoid submergence of more machinery and avert a major loss.
It was on Friday last that heavy inflows were recorded at Nagarjunasagar project prompting the officials to release water downstream. Water was also being let out from the Left Bank canal, which has a generation unit belonging to the TSGENCO. Two pumping units were submerged in the flood water.
It was the presence of mind of 32-year-old A. Mary Joseph, Assistant Engineer at the TSGENCO generation unit at Left Bank, that saved what would have been major loss for the plant.
An Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) engineering graduate, her act prompted TSGENCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) D. Prabhakar Rao and other senior colleagues to compliment her.
Speaking to The Hindu on Sunday, she said one of the two 30 MW power generation units were in operation and the overhauling of another 30 MW was on by about 15 technicians.
“All of a sudden, the ground floor of the four storied power generation unit was flooded after a thunderous noise from the gushing water of Nagarjunasagar. Within minutes, water level reached three feet,” she recalled the tension filled moments.
Just a year into her job with the Genco, the young engineer without wasting time asked the workers to switch on the de-watering pumps to allow flow of water.
She along with other engineers working at that time acted swiftly releasing the water through draft tubes directly to left bank canal. “It all happened in ten minutes,” the visibly shaken engineer recalled. She was all praise for her other colleagues and technicians. “I had the presence of mind and my colleagues did the rest. It was team effort,” she said.
She said the staff are still wondering how water had gushed into the generation station. “We were overhauling the 30 MW unit, which is done once in 20 years,” she said.
Ms. Joseph heaved a sigh of relief that there was no loss of life or damage to property.
Her colleagues, Prakash, Anthony and Rajesh praised her stating that her commitment to the job was enormous.
