NDSA to Be Asked for Guidance on KLIS Barrages' Operations
The Telangana government will seek NDSA guidance on the safe operation of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages before resuming pumping.
Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday directed officials to write to the Union jal shakti ministry and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) seeking clear technical guidance on the future operation of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme.
The minister, who chaired a review on the barrages, said the state government had maintained the barrages in free-flow condition as per NDSA advice to address safety challenges. Any pumping operations from these barrages can begin only after a competent technical authority stated that storage and pumping operations could be safely resumed.
Officials informed Uttam Kumar Reddy that some recently reported statements by the Union jal shakti minister and correspondence from the ministry referred to the general policy that state governments take operational decisions regarding barrages, but did not specifically address the recommendations contained in the NDSA report regarding maintaining the structures in free-flow condition.
The officials also informed the minister that water could not be impounded at the present stage at Annaram barrage also as certain issues indicating cavities had surfaced in its foundations.
The meeting examined proposals regarding possible pumping operations during the current monsoon. Officials explained that pumping can be possible only if adequate upstream water levels can be maintained, which is not possible as the barrages are in a free flow condition due to safety concerns. Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated that no operational decision will be taken because of political pressure or visual assessments.
