CM Revanth meets officials ahead of NDSA review

Ahead of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) review of the interim works on the Medigadda Barrage to be held in New Delhi on Monday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made several suggestions to officers and engineers on Sunday.

This was after he reviewed the Medigadda barrage repairs, inspections, commission inquiries and other issues with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and others at his official residence in New Delhi on Sunday. During the meeting, the Irrigation Minister brought to the notice of the Chief Minister the issues discussed at the NDSA meeting held in New Delhi on Saturday. The Chief Minister shared his views on those issues, according to an official note.

The interim works implemented on the three barrages of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) will be up for review and scrutiny by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) in Delhi on Monday.

A team of the officials from the Irrigation Department will take part in the review which is intended to finalise the way forward.The issue before the Irrigation authorities is whether the KLIP barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla can be put to use for the purpose they were designed or not.

The State government has already written to the NDSA seeking its green signal for resuming pumping operations



to support irrigation needs in the command of the multiple projects that have been integrated with the multi-stage pumping network of the Kaleshwaram project.

As recommended by the NDSA, the Irrigation Department could complete the removal of the distressed gates at Medigadda barrage after ascertaining the integrity of each part of the barrage and its gates. Works pertaining to crack monitoring, bracing of piers from No 16 to 22 and installation of optical targets to monitor any further distress or settlement of the structure were completed.

Certain geophysical and geotechnical tests suggested by it on Medigadda however were not completed as the inflows started into the project a bit early this year disrupting the works in progress.

The NDSA had reportedly questioned certain works which were taken up on Medigadda by the Irrigation department on its own as they were likely to impact the studies it had recommended.

The Irrigation Department had submitted a comprehensive report on the works implemented on the barrages. Taking the report into consideration, the NDSA is expected to spell out its stand on scope for resuming pumping operations at Medigadda or at the pump houses of the Annaram and Sundilla.