The replacing of seven of the eight shutters of KRP Dam began, two-and-a-half years after shutter I breached due to corrosion. The works have commenced just in time coinciding with the fall in water level in the reservoir to 29 feet.
In 2017, shutter I of the dam breached forcing out one TMC (full reservoir capacity) into the river, steering the spotlight on dam health and safety. Soon after, the breached shutter was dismantled and replaced under the State Government’s funds.
After two years, the remaining shutters are also being replaced under the World Bank’s Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
According to an official source, the works commenced when the stillway shutter’s sill level was 32 feet and the water level has fallen further to 29 feet on Monday.
The KRP reservoir’s full capacity of 52 feet was affected by the breach and the storage level shrunk to 42 feet, affecting the dam’s ayacut of about 9,012 acre.
However, farmers were resistant to replacement of shutters fearing further loss of storage during the period of works.
The Public Works Department’s Water Resource Organisation had called for a meeting with the water users in November, when it was decided by the farmers that works should commence even if they had to forego a cropping season, said the source.
Since the agreement period was 24 months, works on three shutters could have been taken up per season. But, the farmers did not want any further delay, the official said.
“Earlier, the farmers resisted early start of shutter works fearing the loss of cropping season. Finally, the drought conditions of March last forced them to step back from cropping until the shutters were replaced to enable the storage in the reservoir,” the official said.
The initial official estimate for the replacement of the seven shutters was ₹22.03 crore. The estimate was brought down to ₹19.07 crore (inclusive of GST) during the financial bid. Finally, the bid was given at ₹18.56 crore to Kwality Shutters, Tiruchi, and the agreement was inked with a completion period of 24 months for the project.
According to official sources, the project, however, is expected to be completed by this August, since the contractor has been asked to take up the works on two shutters simultaneously.
“It took two weeks to dismantle the first shutter (the breached one) earlier, during its replacement. This contractor dismantled all seven shutters in one week,” said the source.
The DRIP project envisions 80% funding by the World Bank and 20% by the State Government in the first five years, and on the ratio of 70:30 during the extension period.
