

VIJAYAWADA: A team from the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS) continued its quality assessment for the second consecutive day on Wednesday at the Earth-cum-Rock Fill (ECRF) Dam component of the Polavaram Project, one of its most critical structures. The testing programme will continue on Thursday.
The expert team comprised Harendra Prakash, Avinash Anand Srivastava, Gaurav Pandya, and Vijay Pratap Singh, specialists in geotechnical engineering and construction materials from CSMRS.
Over the past two days, the team carried out comprehensive field tests to evaluate the quality of rock, soil, and sand being used in the construction of the ECRF dam. On the first day, inspections covered stretch between chainages 400 metres and 1,100 metres. On Wednesday, the experts examined materials in the 0–400 metre and 1,100–1,400 metre sections.
The tests confirmed that all categories of rock, soil, and sand being used in the ECRF dam construction meet the prescribed standards. Similar assessments will continue on Thursday as part of the ongoing inspection programme.
This round of inspections forms part of the regular independent quality assurance process to ensure that construction materials used in the Polavaram Project conform to the highest safety standards.