Polavaram Irrigation Project: Dam design panel to meet Friday

VIJAYAWADA:  The 16th meeting of dam design review panel (DDRP) constituted for Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) is scheduled for next week. The panel has proposed to hold the meeting at the project site from February 19 for three days to discuss and clear the pending issues pertaining to designs so that the civil works can be completed as per the schedule.

According to a notice sent by Polavaram Project Authority member secretary D Ranga Reddy, chairman of the panel AB Pandya, who served as chairman of the central water commission (CWC) in the past, and six other members will inspect the ongoing head works and connectivities on February 19.  The panel meeting will begin on February 20 and will continue on the following day as well.

For the record, about 26 designs pertaining to various components of PIP are yet to get approval. As the government has targeted to complete all the works by December, 2021, and supply water for Kharif-2022, the executing agencies and the officials have only one season left to complete all the works. While 11 designs to be cleared pertain to earth-cum-rock fill (ECRF) dam, eight belong to spill channel, four to spillway and three to the gates. Thirteen of the 26 are with the central water commission.