A 10-member team from the Plan Formulation Wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) has begun a study at Mukkombu (Upper Anicut) to finalise the design of the new regulator across the Coleroon, where a portion of a 182-year-old brick masonry bridge was washed away last week following heavy discharge of water.
New alignment
Travelling on a country boat in the Coleroon, where about 13,000 cusecs was flowing through the damaged portion of the regulator, the team, led by Selvaraj, PWD Chief Engineer, Project Formation, carried out a ground and soil study downstream of Mukkombu. The team members split into different groups and studied the field condition to finalise the alignment of the new barrage.
The characteristics of surface and subsurface flows, dimensions of the barrage components, the crest level, the downstream floor length and the gradient level were studied.
The team collected details about the 1924, 1977 and 2005 floods. While the study of the northern arm of the Coleroon was completed, the team continued the ground study for the second day on Monday. The heavy flow of water in the river was said to be hindering the study, forcing the officials to engage boats to carry out the task.
The new barrage across the southern arm of the Coleroon would run 680 metres in length and 4.6 metres in width. The length of the northern arm would be 145 metres.
An official said the study would be completed in five days. A report would be submitted for finalising the design of the structure. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be prepared after finalising the structural design. Considering the urgency of the project, the State government would soon accord administrative sanction for it.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami visited Mukkombu a few days ago and announced that a new barrage would be constructed at a cost of ₹410 crore.
Meanwhile, temporary restoration work, involving the erection of a ring bund using sand bags, was progressing apace at the regulator.
