NDSA forms technical panel to inspect barrages in Telangana

HYDERABAD: The technical committee constituted by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) to visit and carry out inspections of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages will submit its report within four months. The orders constituting the committee were released to the media on Sunday. The six-member committee will be headed by J Chandrashekhar Iyer, former chairman of the Central Water Commission. The committee will conduct inspection visits to Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Project and hold discussions with stakeholders for holistic appreciation of site-related issues. It will also ascertain the hydraulic, structural and geotechnical aspects of the three barrages. The committee will examine the project data, drawings, design memoranda, tests and site investigation reports, barrage inspection reports and other reports/material related to the design, construction, quality control and quality assurance of the three barrages. It will interact with stakeholders/agencies (government, PSU or private) responsible for site investigations, design, construction, quality control and assurance, operation and maintenance and related issues of the three barrages. The committee will examine the physical/mathematical model studies carried out to aid the design of three barrages. The committee will also examine the causes leading to the sinking of the Medigadda barrage, as well as any other distress that is observed. Further, it will examine the causes of distress that may be observed in the other two barrages upstream. After the visits, the committee will recommend measures or further studies/investigations to address and mitigate the distress condition of the three barrages, and also recommend measures to prevent the recurrence of such issues. The non-official members will get `6,000 per sitting, subject to a maximum of 10 sittings per month. The other members of the committee are UC Vidyarthi, scientist, Central Soil and Materials Research Station, Delhi, R Patil, scientist, Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, Shiv Kumar Sharma, director, BCD (E&NE), Central Water Commission, Rahul Kumar Singh, director, Gates (NW & S), CWC & director (disaster & resilience), NDSA and Amitabh Meena, director (technical), NDSA.