Andhra Pradesh to Resume Work at Polavaram Dam from today

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government will resume work on the Polavaram irrigation project from Monday after a gap of nearly four months.

Dam authorities stopped work in mid-July after Godavari River witnessed floods. Water seeped into the area where project works had been going on. Water had also started oozing from the ground.

Authorities are now dewatering an earmarked area at the Polavaram dam site using heavy duty pumps. They will take up vibrocompaction from November 13 to solidify loose sand, preparing the ground for laying the foundation for Polavaram dam.

Vibrocompaction is a big task, as nearly 38 lakh cubic metres of loose sand has to be solidified. For the purpose, six rigs are being set up in a phased manner. Machinery and material are being mobilised. There is also another task of filling up scoured portions at the dam site.

State government is yet to decide whether it should go for full-length construction of a new



diaphragm wall measuring nearly 1,400 meters length, 1.5 meters width and depth ranging from maximum 80 metres to minimum 45 to 50 metres parallel to the existing wall, which got damaged, or only repair this wall damaged at four places.

The second option is risky, as connecting a new wall to the existing wall at four places in a foolproof manner is a very challenging task.

Centre has called for a meeting in New Delhi on November 16 to take a final decision on the issue of diaphragm wall. Officials from Water Resources Department, Central Water Commission and Polavaram Project Authority will participate in the meeting.

Polavaram superintending engineer Narasimha Murthy said, "We are getting ready to resume Polavaram project works, maybe from November 13. We will take up vibrocompation of loose sand to make it strong, as part of preparing for laying the foundation for Polavaram dam."