No structural fault in Lakshmi Barrage says ENC Muralidhar, restoration by Summer after NDSA team’s report

HYDERABAD: Engineer in Chief (ENC) of Telangana Irrigation and Command Area Development Department C. Muralidhar said that there is no structural fault in Lakshmi Barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) and the restoration of the portion of the Barrage where few pillars were damaged would be completed by this summer.

Speaking to the media after a three-hour-long meeting with the six-member team of National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) by its Chief Anil Jain and officials from the L&T the contractor who built the Barrage at Jala Soudha, Irram Manjil in Hyderabad on Wednesday, Muralidhar said that there was a problem in the seventh block.

“A pier sagged due to some problem. It might be because of sand. However, the department received quality of sand and quality of construction certifications,” he said adding that the flood must recede from the coffer dam to take further decision on restoration.

The ENC informed that the Central team sought records of the project and they would soon submit a tentative report to the Jal Shakti ministry and also an action plan for the I&CAD and the L&T. “First we will drain all the remaining water from the reservoir and isolate the spot.

“I am sure that there is no structural problem, there could be lacunae here and there as there is nothing like 110 percent correct. If there are any structural problems, we would have known about them in the first season itself, but because the foundation was in sand there could be some problems overlooked by the engineers,” he said.

The ENC reiterated that the construction of the Barrage or any other irrigation structure of KLIP size would be modeled first and thoroughly tested before embarking on construction. He assured that the rest of the KLIP would operate normally and farmers would receive irrigation water in the current season.