-Central team to visit Lakshmi barrage to examine safety on Tuesday
-CWC member to lead the six member team
HYDERABAD:A six member Central team led by Anil Jain, member, Central Water Commission (CWC), would visit Medigadda barrage on Tuesday to examine the safety of the dam. The team is being sent here by the Center in response to the letter written by BJP state president and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy to Jal Shakthi Mantri Gajendra Shekwat on Sunday, a day after a pillar of Lakshmi (Medigadda) barrage sunk in resulting in sinking of the barrage partially.
The team will hold a meeting with the officials of Telangana on Monday and visit the barrage on Tuesday.
Disclosing these details in a release here on Monday, Kishan Reddy said that they have expressed fears about the dam safety and asked the Centre to bring forth the facts about the barrage from designing to completing the construction.
The issues pointed in the letter by Kishan Reddy included:
‘Sinking in of pillars of Medigadda reservoir was unfortunate. Pillars from 15 to 20 under block number 6 got sunk in. Locals have informed that they heard huge sounds. As a result the officials have opened all the 85 gates and released the water that was stored for irrigation. People living in villages downside the barrage have sleepless night on that particular day (Saturday – October 21st). Hence we request you to send a central team to examine the following issues in regard to safety.’
‘Have they collected the borehole samples before project construction and got the soil sample tested? Were the reverse cross section tests held before rainy season, after rainy season to assess the seasonal impacts, and flood that comes from the upstream and outflow? Have any issues came to the notice of officials?’
‘It was confirmed that piers laid under pillars were not with required quality. It can also be assumed that soil treatment was not performed before construction of piers. That means this was the result of not holding proper foundation inspection.’
‘Was the project design was made by the company that was awarded the contract under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) method or by the Central Design Organisation (CDO) of State Irrigation Department?’
‘As per the Dam Safety Bill passed by the Centre last year in Lok Sabha, sent the ‘Central Dam Safety Authority’ experts to Telangana and have a field level examination to find out who is responsible for the present conditions.’
