Hyderabad: Among the several reasons that led to a portion of the Medigadda barrage sinking was the neglect in levelling the Godavari river bed. Doing so would have ensured uniform flow of water towards the barrage, investigations into the barrage collapse by the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) wing has found. Sources said that after the impounded water was drained, officials found that one deeper portion where the water used to flow when the river was diverted using cofferdams, stayed that way. “This resulted in uneven pressure on the (Medigadda) structure with one section coming under increased stress where the water level was deeper when the river was in full flow during the 2019 and the 2022 floods, and also when it was first filled up in 2019,” sources said. The river bed upstream of the barrage for a few hundred metres was found to be highly uneven, with dunes sticking out —clear evidence that the river’s channel was never levelled. “The stipulation was that the levelling was to be at 88 metres (above sea level) and this was not done, which itself is yet another violation by the contractor. It is quite likely that this factor too contributed to the weakening of the structure when the river was in full flow with different flow dynamics along the structure resulting in the subsequent damage to the barrage,” the sources explained.
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