VIJAYAWADA: A team of experts inspected the Polavaram irrigation project on Friday to come up with design and methodology for repair of the diaphragm wall and fix a timeline for construction of earth-cum-rock-filled (ECRF) dam in Eluru district.
The diaphragm wall got scoured at two places over an area of 200 meters x 200 meters each when Godavari River witnessed floods.
To facilitate construction of the ECRF dam, water resources authorities are aiming to complete construction of the cofferdam downstream by July 15. The upstream cofferdam had already been completed last September.
The experts’ team included Prof. V.S. Raju, former director, IIT, Delhi; Prof. G.V. Ramana, director, IIT, Delhi; Balaji, chief engineer, VS Raju Consultants, Prof. Janaki Ramaiah, assistant professor, IIT, Tirupati; and several others. They inspected works related to ECRF dam, lower cofferdam and Gap-1 ring bund. The experts are scheduled to hold a review meeting with water resources officials in Rajamahendravaram on Saturday.
Polavaram chief engineer B. Sudhakar Babu said, “As all major components of Polavaram project are almost over, we are paying more attention towards construction of the ECRF dam after restoring of diaphragm wall.”
