VIJAYAWADA: Irrigation expert and advisor to the State government, Kannaiah Naidu, visited Prakasam Barrage gate number 69, where four boats had collided with the barrage wall, resulting in the breaking of a counterweight.
He inspected the structure and confirmed that there was no danger to the barrage itself and that only the counterweight was damaged. He advised removing the boats before commencing repair work. However, the boats can only be removed once the water inflows decrease to less than 5 lakh cusecs of water. He explained that lowering the gates does not require a counterweight, and he has already provided a design for how it should be done. He recently arranged a stop-lock system for the damaged gate of the Tungabhadra project, successfully saving precious water. He expressed confidence that despite not having stop-locks, the barrage has strong gates, which were replaced in 2002 and are expected to last another 20 years.
The damaged counterweight will be replaced with a new one made of metal instead of stone, and the entire process is expected to be completed in two weeks, Naidu said and suggested that once the two proposed barrages—one upstream and one downstream of the Prakasam Project—are completed, the pressure on Prakasam Barrage will be reduced.
Meanwhile, water inflows and outflows at the barrage have decreased. As of 10 pm, the surplus water being released from the barrage stood at 6,61,335 cusecs. On Monday, floodwater was discharged into the sea downstream of the barrage at a rate of 11.43 lakh cusecs, the highest ever in the 70-year history of Prakasam Barrage. The swift currents of the river caused four boats to be washed away, which then collided with the barrage.