The reports on structural soundness of Prakasam barrage by experts are misleading, says Parepalli Adinarayana Murthy, who is one of the engineers of Irrigation (CAD) Department involved in the construction of the historic project across the river Krishna.
Teams of officials who inspected the barrage around April this year and recently a few weeks ago gave contradictory reports, that the crest gates were corroded which was the reason for leakage of water through them and it was the apron which was in need of repairs estimated to cost Rs. 60 crore.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Murthy said that the entire dam was in need of repairs as all parts of the structure were to be reinforced.
Stop construction on river banks
He said that while conducting long-pending repairs to the aging structure, emphasis has to be laid on measuring the strength of its foundations, stopping construction of buildings on river banks and shifting proposed tourism projects to other places. The octogenarian engineer pointed out that every 10 pillars of the bridge have a staircase on the downstream side to enable the workers to conduct repairs.
Due to irregular conduct of repairs to sluice gates and lack of de-silting, sand islands formed in the reservoir upstream, he said and appealed to the government to give top priority to protecting the barrage which is a lifeline for lakhs of farmers in Krishna delta besides being a perennial source of drinking water. De-silting is wanted to ensure free flow of water, he stressed.
No major study done
Meanwhile, according to official sources, no major study of the barrage was done after 2001 when the National Institute of Ocean Technology had made a ‘structural integrity assessment’ with the help of underwater videography upon the request of its client AP-GENCO which draws water for Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Plant at Ibrahimpatnam.
According to official sources, no major study of the barrage was done after 2001.
