Polavaram earth-cum-rock fill dam works resume

VIJAYAWADA: After a hiatus due to flooding, the works of Earth-cum-Rock Fill (ECRF) dam of the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) resumed on Wednesday. The contracting agency, along with water resources department officials, resumed vibro-compaction, a ground improvement method used for stabilisation, and sand filling.

According to information, about 10.85 lakh cubic metres of vibro-compaction works have been completed so far along with 1.61 lakh cubic metres of sand filling. While the construction programme chalked out indicates that the ECRF dam, which is 2,454 metres long, works may take up to March, 2022 to conclude, the officials are working to complete the works by the end of next year so as to facilitate the storage and release of water by Kharif-2022. 

The contracting agency, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), has also expedited the other components of head works. While it started the arm girder installation for erection of hydraulic gates of the spillway last week, the first gate was installed on Monday, according to the officials.

Representation to PPA
Urging that a recommendation be made to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Finance for faster reimbursement of the expenditure made by the state on Polavaram Project and approval of the revised cost estimates (RCE) as per the latest prices, the AP State Water Users Associations Federation (APSWUAF) has submitted a representation to Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) CEO J Chandrashekhar Iyer. The federation also requested that the PPA office be relocated to Rajamahendravaram.

In the representation given on Wednesday, the federation requested the authority to make recommendation to ensure faster completion of the project. The federation of associations also emphasised on the necessity to approve the RCE of `55,548 crore as cleared by the technical advisory committee (TAC) at 2017-18 price level.

The members recalled that complete execution of the project was a commitment made by the Centre during the bifurcation of the state. Meanwhile, the PPA CEO has reportedly assured the federation members  that the Centre will construct the project without any deviation from the original plan. This was informed by federation president Alla  Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao and general secretary  P Ramanjuneya Raju  on Wednesday.