HYDERABAD: The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), in its report on the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme barrages, has recommended that the government earmark funds for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified state-owned dams for ensuring their safety and safe functioning and to avoid failure related disasters.The recommendation comes in the wake of NDSA determining that extensive studies, testing, and rehabilitation and repairs were required for the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages which suffered various levels of damage. It said these barrages fell under the specified dams category as per the Dam Safety Act of 2021, and that the government must ensure safety of all such specified dams in Telangana.With the NDSA recommending detailed investigations and tests, to be followed by design work before any repairs can be taken up at the barrages, it is now certain that Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages cannot be used to store water this year too, and any pumping of water from Godavari river will have to be restricted to lifting water from the upstream Sripada Yellampalli reservoir.The NDSA report also said that there were deficiencies in the model studies for the barrages conducted by the Telangana Engineering Research Laboratories, practically dismissed the TGERL’s work with relation to the Kaleshwaram barrages. It said the lab needed to have its facilities upgraded and modernised and its technical capabilities enhanced “to carry out physical and mathematical modelling for addressing the complex challenges in the field of water resources projects.”Another lesson the irrigation department needed to learn from the Kaleshwaram barrages, the NDSA said in its report, was the need for putting in place “a robust and independent quality control and quality assurance protocol.” The NDSA, in its final report, pointed out to the lack or absence of adequate quality control checks, which it felt, contributed to the damages to the three barrages.It called for freeing the irrigation department’s quality control unit from the department’s control and that it needed to be reinforced with posting of adequate number of personnel. Mere strengthening of the unit, without filling the sanctioned posts would not serve the intended purpose. “There should be no compromise in the quality control and quality assurance of construction of works,” the report said.
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