KURNOOL: Dam safety has become a major concern as most of the dams in Andhra Pradesh were built 40 to 50 years ago. With the Pulichintala crest gate breakdown, Srisailam dam also needs immediate attention. Last year, water seeped through gates when the water level was 884.90 feet.
There have already been as many as 36 dam failures, nine of which have taken place after 2001. The Kadam dam in Andhra Pradesh broke down twice, in 1958 and 1995. The plunge pool at the bottom of Srisailam is widening and a cause of concern. Some farmers’ associations demanded a diversion canal on the Tungabhadra river near Kurnool to lessen the flood flow to Srisailam.
The Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) which mitigates the potential danger of devastation due to dam failures has suggested several measures for the safety of the Srisailam dam. But the panel of experts who suggested dam safety measures had not recommended release of funds to take up such issues, said Srisailam dam chief engineer Muralinath Reddy.
He said the expert's panel suggested the construction of a new spillway downstream of the project where the river takes a ‘U’ shape. They also suggested conducting a ‘dam burst’ analysis which has to record the effects of the dam when it bursts by conducting certain simulation tests. The DRIP panel of experts were only offering ‘what if’ related questions instead of concretely recommending for the improvements by sanctioning sufficient funds to implement their suggestions, said Muralinath Reddy.
The chief engineer further said the Srisailam dam was structurally robust and in perfect condition. What happened at Pulichintala where a crest gate malfunctioned had no reason to believe that such an eventuality would be repeated at Srisailam. He said every year before the monsoon starts, a pre-monsoon inspection was done by experts and a report was given on the fitness of the dam. “Based on that, our engineers at the dam site take up needed repairs,” he said.
He said this year, based on the pre-monsoon inspection report, they had carried out overhaul of crest gates, fixed leakages, tightened the screws and nuts and unclogged drains, and fixed the electrical fittings and linings. He said new electric panels had been replaced, Reddy said. An amount of Rs 30 lakh had already been sanctioned for such exigent works, he said.
He said Srisailam was constructed a few decades ago and the quality of construction was very good. Even in 2009, when unprecedented floods caused damage and the entire Kurnool city was submerged, the dam withstood when inflows crossed one million cusecs.
Muralinath Reddy said the panel of experts also suggested opening the tunnel on the left bank side. This tunnel was dug during the construction of the Srisailam dam and now remains unused. It is on the left bank (Telangana side). He said the burden on the dam is balanced with withdrawal of water from the Pothireddypadu head regulator and other channels.
