Medigadda Barrage's Future Mired in Challenges
Uttam said investment-clearance applications for Seethamma Sagar, Modikuntavagu, distributory systems of Chanaka–Korata and Chinna Kaleshwaram were submitted to the Centre and their appraisal under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana framework was at an advanced stage.
Hyderabad: The future and fate of the Medigadda barrage, with one of its blocks cracked and severely damaged in 2023 after which the barrage was taken out of service to limit the damages, hangs in the balance, with the government hoping that a solution can be found to repair and rehabilitate it in the next one year.
The task appears complicated with questions on whether only the damaged Block 7 of the barrage can be repaired or restored, or if it needs to be removed and rebuilt afresh without impacting the rest of the barrage, of if this would even be possible. Or even more challenging is the possible prospect of the repairs and restoration requiring a thorough relook at the entire barrage structure and its safety and whether it can be used at all if only a part of it is repaired.
The government hopes to have some certainty soon on the way forward after its Expression of Interest (EoI) inviting national institutions and expert organizations to participate in the restoration work. “The idea is to have an organisation like an IIT as the principal technical partner which will work closely with the irrigation department’s Central Designs Organisation (CDO),” irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters on Tuesday.
He made it clear that the repair process will adhere strictly to National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) recommendations. “The safety of these barrages is a top priority. We are taking a scientific, transparent and corrective approach with national-level institutions involved in every stage,” he said.
“A premier IIT team will take up structural design, testing and rehabilitation planning. Pre-monsoon tests have been completed, and post-monsoon verification will follow shortly. The full restoration design will be completed within one year,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
On the hearings before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II), the minister said after Andhra Pradesh completes its submissions, Telangana will have an opportunity to further present its case. “Our team has presented Telangana’s case effectively. We are monitoring every hearing and maintaining legal preparedness for the next stages. We hope that we will have a positive outcome in about six months,” he said.
The minister said investment-clearance applications for Seethamma Sagar, Modikuntavagu, distributory systems of Chanaka–Korata and Chinna Kaleshwaram were submitted to the Centre and their appraisal under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana framework was at an advanced stage. “Once central approvals come through, these projects will strengthen irrigation across both the Godavari and Krishna basins,” he said.
