BHUPALPALLY: Less than two weeks since six pillars of the Medigadda (Lakshmi) barrage were reported to be damaged, water seepage at the Annaram (Saraswati) barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) came to light on Wednesday.
According to sources, water has been seeping out of gates 28 and 38 of the barrage, one of the three such structures built as part of KLIS, in Mahadevpur mandal of the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
Reports had initially suggested that water was leaking out of the two gates leading to criticism by opposition leaders.
However, KLIS engineer-in-chief N Venkateshwarlu clarified to TNIE that there was no water leakage from the gates. Rather, there was seepage of water at a wet spot within the Annaram barrage, he said.
“This seepage incident is not occurring at the pillars. It is quite the opposite, situated away from the barrage,” he said.
He emphasised that false information was being circulated about damaged pillars and water leakage from the barrage.
Venkateshwarlu asserted that there was no damage to the pillars of the Annaram barrage and added the engineering staff had taken measures to address the seepage.
After the seepage was reported, the barrage’s engineering staff alerted the maintenance team and took action by deploying sandbags to control the water flow.
The engineering staff said this is a common occurrence during the annual maintenance activity (AMA) period and pointed out that there was no cause for alarm.
At present, there is approximately 5.71 tmcft of water in the barrage. The officials have lifted one gate, releasing 2,357 cusecs of water downstream.
The Annaram (Saraswati) barrage was built with a water storage capacity of 10.87 TMC and is equipped with 66 gates.
It must be noted that six pillars of the Medigadda (Lakshmi) barrage, also a part of the KLIS, were reported to be damaged on October 21.
Teams from the central engineering team and water commission were dispatched to assess and conduct necessary repairs.
‘Within permissible limits’
According to KLIS officials, the engineers are performing regular maintenance work to address the seepage by placing sandbags near the 38th vent.
It’s important to note that the seepage observed is not a rupture or leakage; instead, it is normal seepage in permeable foundations, officials mentioned, adding that freshwater is indeed coming out, but it remains within permissible limits, and no sand is being discharged.
Deputy Executive Engineer (DEE) Ravi Chandra has been overseeing the situation at the barrage since the morning. Chandra said that while staff members were engaged in routine maintenance activities, such as managing seepage near the end sill of gate no. 38, a group of about 20 Congress workers and leaders from Annaram village entered the trunnion-level walkway gate without obtaining permission from the irrigation department.
They captured videos and photos and circulated them, inaccurately describing it as a major issue, he added.
As long as seepage is within permissible limits and does not carry soil or sand particles, the structure is considered safe. “There is no threat. Annaram barrage remains unaffected,” asserted KLIS Executive Engineer (EE) A Yadagiri.