hyderabad
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said that an expert committee would examine the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) on March 6.
In a press release issued here on Sunday, he stated that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has constituted a five-member committee under the chairmanship of J. Chandrasekhar Iyer, former chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC), along with U.C. Vidyarthi, R. Patil, Shivakumar Sharma, and Rahul Kumar Singh as members. Amitabh Meena, Director (Technical) of NDSA, will serve as the member secretary of this committee, he added.
The Minister highlighted that the Telangana government, alarmed by the sinking of the piers of the Medigadda barrage, had written to the NDSA to conduct a thorough probe into the barrages of the KLIP, including Sundilla and Annaram barrages. “We welcome the visit of the expert committee, and we will cooperate with the committee in all aspects since the government is prioritising the recommendations of the NDSA,” he said.
The NDSA team had already inspected the damaged Medigadda barrage as part of preliminary investigation and advised releasing water. It also suggested emptying Sundilla and Annaram barrages.
The committee has been asked to submit its report to the NDSA within four months. The terms of reference for the expert panel include visiting the three barrages, holding discussions with stakeholders concerned for holistic appreciation of the site-related issues and ascertaining the hydraulic, structural and geotechnical aspects of the three structures.
Further, the panel has been tasked to examine the project data, drawings, design memoranda, tests and site investigation reports, barrage inspection reports and other reports/material related to design, construction, quality control and quality assurance of the three barrages, to interact with stakeholders/agencies concerned (government /PSU/ private and others) responsible for site investigations, design, construction, quality control and assurance, operation and maintenance and related issues.
It would take up examination of the physical/mathematical model studies carried out for aiding the design of three barrages, examine the causes leading to the sinking of Medigadda barrage as well as any other distress that has been observed as also the causes of distress to be observed in the two upstream barrages. The committee has been given a free hand to co-opt any other member as per requirement with the approval of NDSA chairman.
The expert panel is mandated to recommend measures or further studies/ investigations to address and mitigate the distress condition of the three barrages and to recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such problems/ issues in future.
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