The Water Resources Department (WRD) officials, who had taken up repairs to the Prakasam Barrage’s crest gate no. 69, on September 5 (Thursday) removed its counterweight, which was damaged when a boat drifted in the floodwaters and hit it.
The officials target to complete the work in one week. Gates 67 and 69 would be closed to remove the boats that were stuck.
The repair of the damaged portions near gate numbers 67, 68 and 69 was being carried out by BEKEM Infra Projects Pvt. Ltd. Government adviser and engineering expert Kannaiah Naidu was supervising the repair works. Irrigation adviser K.V. Krishna Rao, Central Design Organisation (CDO) Dam Safety Chief Engineer Thota Ratna Kumar, and CDO EE Vijayasarathi were with him. The works were going on at a workshop located at Sitanagaram in Guntur district.
With the Krishna in spate from September 2, the fishermen at Gollapudi, Bhavanipuram, Ibrahimpatnam and other areas located upstream the barrage had anchored their boats. But five boats drifted towards the barrage, one of which hit gate no. 69 and damaged its counterweight.
Of the five boats, one was washed away downstream in the floodwaters, while three were stuck at gate numbers 67, 68 and 69, obstructing the free flow of water. Another was said to be lying beneath the gates.
Mr. Kannaiah Naidu expressed the view that there was no danger to the other two gates. “The damage is not on a scale that is feared. The boats will be removed before the gates are closed,” he said.
Published - September 05, 2024 07:41 pm IST
