River water expert Medigadda raised serious doubts about NDSA’s role in the blame game
Hyderabad: The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) Fired for managing structural issues at Madigadda (Lakshmi) Barrage, a key component Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. River water expert and former Telangana Water Resources Development Authority chairman V Prakash Rao has raised serious questions about the credibility of the NDSA preliminary report.
Rao criticized the NDSA for preparing the report as soon as the problems were reported in 2023, which was rushed and politically motivated. He opined that the report was prepared without any geophysical tests and consultation with the engineers of Telangana, which is unfair to the technical institute under the Central Government.
Critics claim that the report was prepared to benefit the ruling party at the Center by alleging planning, design, construction quality and management deficiencies. The report concluded with a recommendation to conduct geophysical tests and submit the results, which many considered “inadequate”.
NDSA’s report admits that despite all precautions taken, construction problems have arisen due to changes in river bed and locations of ditts. This admission was considered an unfortunate fact which neither the government nor the engineers were willing to face.
Project engineers who expected concrete remedial measures from NDSA were disappointed. NDSA’s visits and investigations, which are described as confidential, suggest temporary protection measures only after orders from the commission. Engineers lamented that these measures were nothing new and valuable time was wasted before the rainy season.
NDSA, which was established to manage dams and barrages, accused the Center of protecting vested interests without providing effective solutions. The delay in submitting the comprehensive report drew criticism, calling for more timely and actionable recommendations.
Sriram Vedire, Advisor to the Ministry of Water Power and Chairman of the Task Force on the River Linkage Project, asserted that the situation could be handled better if the NDSA submitted its report without delay, affecting his position and the link to Telangana. This would give sufficient time for the necessary works on the barrages before the rainy season.
The controversy highlights the need for accountability and effective management in addressing structural issues in critical infrastructure projects such as the Medigadda Barrage.
On NDSA’s handling of the construction issues at Medigadda Barrage, Rao said that NDSA failed to provide constructive suggestions for the restoration of the barrage and instead tried to discredit the previous government and Telangana engineers.
Rao emphasized that leakages are natural in structures built on sand foundations. He pointed out that the same technology was used for the construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages and similar problems are likely to arise. However, he argued that this is not an opinion, but an expected outcome for some, and such claims are baseless.
“It is natural for water leakages to occur in permeable foundations. Rao explained that when there is leakage of water beyond the limit, if soil and sand particles are found in that water, they should be stopped. He highlighted that the project engineers will conduct annual inspections and take remedial measures if any such leakages are detected. This ongoing monitoring is critical to maintaining the structural integrity of the barrage.
