BHUPALPALLY: Former Supreme Court judge, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, on Tuesday conducted an inspection of the damaged piers of the Lakshmi Barrage (Medigadda) of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
During his visit to the site, Justice Ghose inspected Piers 19, 20, and 21 of Block No. 7 on the left bank, and slabs and parapet wall resting on Pier No. 20, as well as the disturbed and sunken beds on the Maharashtra state side of the project.
The former judge was accompanied by special secretary, Irrigation, Patil Prashant Jeevan, Jayashankar Bhupalpally district collector Bhavesh Mishra, officials from the Irrigation department and L&T, the contracting company.
After reaching the site, Justice Ghose summoned the local engineering staff and enquired about the situation before the sinking of the piers. The L&T engineering staff and officials of the Telangana Irrigation department were present.
The former Supreme Court judge also enquired about the damage and cracks. He met the barrage staff and discussed for hours the sinking of the piers. During the visit of the former judge, no one was allowed on the barrage.
Speaking to the media later, Justice Ghose said that a report will be submitted to the government on the matters that come to light during his inspection visit. “We also received a National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report and will study it thoroughly. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the government,” said Justice Ghose.
Interim measures ahead of monsoon
For Radial gates 15 to 22 which are stuck due to sinking of piers
Gantry crane shall be parked at any block other than Block No-7.
Ropes shall also be checked for slackness to avoid tilting of gate while lifting.
All welds, bolts and pin connections in gate, hoist and its supporting structures shall be checked thoroughly before any of these gates is lifted.
Radial gates 20 and 21, which has suffered the maximum damage, shall be removed completely
The remaining six gates shall be lifted to fully open position and shall be latched/dogged firmly.
Recommendations for Sundilla
All obstructions to the smooth and even distribution of flow of water through barrage and its immediate upstream and downstream shall be removed and ground trimmed. The left-over boulders and debris, dead concrete, sheet piles, shoals or sediment deposits and any other protrusions that obstruct the smooth flow upstream and downstream shall be removed.
Recommendations for Annaram
Sand heaps accumulated in front of the barrage bay raft shall be removed and the waterway cleared, strictly adhering to the norms of irrigation department or other regulations in this regard
The Medigadda barrage structure is 1632 m long and 20.1 m in height. The length of the barrage is divided into 8 blocks. After the damage, 77 out of 85 radial gates in barrage have been successfully lifted.
Problems have been encountered while lifting the remaining radial gates i.e. No. 15 to 22 in the distressed Block No-7.
Carry out crack monitoring at appropriate locations to an accuracy of +/- 1.0 mm
Pier nos. 16 to 22 have either tilted or have developed cracks to varying magnitude. These piers shall be adequately braced at appropriate locations with suitable bracing system. Lattice girder/truss or box girder can also be used to arrest any likely lateral movement.
Rectify or replace defective or damaged pressure release valves in the raft
nThe damages to the plinth slab/end-sill noticed at certain locations may be repaired / recast. If boiling is noticed underneath the plinth slab, it shall be arrested by restoring the parametric joint at that location
The CC blocks which are intact may be used again. However, damaged CC blocks shall be replaced.