In a bid to make up the affected progress of work and lost time during the monsoon period due to increase in the water flows in Godavari river, the State Government has asked the work agencies of Kaleshwaram Project to deploy additional men and machinery to meet the June-end next deadline for lifting 1 TMC ft water to Sriramsagar Project.
During the recent two-day visit to the Kaleshwaram Project components that would enable lifting of 1 TMC ft water for supplementation to Sriramsagar for the next kharif, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is understood to have insisted upon the engineers and work agencies to speed up works on Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages and their pump-houses so that the government could keep its word of supplementing 1 TMC ft water a day to Sriramsagar through the flood flow canal.
Medigadda barrage
Highly placed officials sources stated that the Chief Minister had directed the work agencies and the engineers concerned to complete the raft of Medigadda barrage, the first of the three key barrages planned across Godavari as part of Kaleshwaram Project, by June and ensure fabrication of gates so that they could be installed at least by December-end. The CM wants all the planned 85 gates in place by then, the sources said.
“Increase in water level at the Medigadda barrage site, located after the Pranahita river confluences with Godavari, has affected work for about three months during the rainy season. We are trying to make up the loss of time by mobilising additional men and machinery to catch up the intended progress of work,” a senior engineer of the project told The Hindu.
Explaining the status of work Annaram barrage, the sources said 50% of concrete was already done there and the balance is expected by to completed by March-April.
Sundilla barrage
Regarding Sundilla barrage, the engineer said they were doing 5,000 cubic meters of concreting work every day now and have plans to increase it beyond 7,000 cubic meters a day over the next few weeks. “The work agency engaged there is confident that they will ready the barrage ahead of the two others,” the senior engineer stated.
When contacted, Chief Engineer N. Venkateshwaralu stated that all civil works on the pump-houses to enable lifting of 1 TMC ft water per day would be completed up to ground-level by March above ground level up to roof and erection of required number of pumps would be completed by June. “At least four pumps will be erected at all the pump-houses by June, though each pumping station has 8 to 11 pumps,” he explained.
