Annaram barrage — one of the three key constituents of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) — has now sprung a major leak, after the Meddigadda barrage sunk last year, throwing the project into uncertainty. (Photo: Video Screen grab)
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday announced in the Legislative Assembly that the Annaram barrage — one of the three key constituents of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) — has now sprung a major leak, after the Meddigadda barrage sunk last year, throwing the project into uncertainty.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, following the announcement in the Assembly, played a short video clip that showed the extent and force of the leak. He said irrigation officials were told to empty all the water at Annaram barrage to try and prevent further damage, or face a potential disaster, like the one at Medigadda.
“We have written to the National Dam Safety Authority to do a thorough investigation into all the three Kaleshwaram barrages, Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla. The news from Annaram is a matter of serious concern,” he said.
Irrigation engineers told Deccan Chronicle that the matter was not just serious but also dangerous.
The large leak took place under Pier 35 of the Annaram barrage and was first noticed on Friday night. By Saturday morning, it grew in strength and the velocity of the water gushing through from under the barrage’s foundation increased.
The latest leak is in a new area of the barrage, as the previous leaks at Annaram were plugged by the contractor a few days after they were found, more or less simultaneously when a portion of the Medigadda barrage cracked and sank on October 21, 2023.
Sources told Deccan Chronicle that as of Saturday morning, 2.7 tmc ft of water was stored at Annaram, and that under instructions from the government, water was being released from there to reduce the pressure on the barrage and to prevent any damage from the leak.
With the water from Annaram flowing down to Medigadda, engineers raised additional concerns. If the water arrives with any force, then the earthen bund built to stop water from flowing into the damaged Block 7 at Medigadda might get dislodged, resulting in water directly hitting the damaged part of the Medigadda barrage.
“We are hoping that since all the other gates of Medigadda are open, there will be no problem, but we will not know until the water starts reaching Medigadda and how it behaves on the river bed in terms of which part of the river bed the water will choose to flow along,” an irrigation engineer said.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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