Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Krishna eastern main canal to be closed tomorrow

Staff Reporter

Prakasam barrage protection works to be completed Prakasam barrage protection works to be completed

VIJAYAWADA: The head sluice to the Krishna Eastern Main Canal that branches off into four - Krishna Eastern Bank (K.E.B), Bandar, Ryve's and Eluru - major canals with a cumulative ayacut of 5.93 lakh acres will be closed on May 19 for the completion of Prakasam Barrage protection works.

Water from the Krishna River is supplied to nearly 400 villages and important towns like Machilipatnam, Gudivada and Eluru located along the courses of these four major canals and their branches.

Cross-bunds

The Vijayawada Irrigation Circle Superintending Engineer, J. Rajendra Prasad, said a cross-bund would be constructed from the eastern (left) bank of the river to the `guiding' wall that separates the head sluice gates and scour vents from the rest of the barrage.

A cross-bund would be constructed downstream the sluice to prevent water in the canal from flowing backward.

After a physical inspection of the concrete apron in front of the scour vents and the head sluice, a decision would be taken the exact way the z-sheet pile would be driven into the riverbed. If there was a need for it, the expert committee would be called to make suggestions, Mr. Prasad said.

Head sluice mechanised

The head sluice, said to be a little older than Prakasam barrage, was mechanised in 1998-99. This could be achieved only after the construction of cross-bund needed to maintain a water level of 12 feet at the barrage to ensure that water from the Krishna River flowed into the Vijayawada Thermal Power Station (VTPS) cooling canal by gravity.

Earlier, the Irrigation Department personal, who were operating the head sluice gates manually, faced several problems each summer.

It was a Herculean task for them to either open or close the gates during the dry season.

Water often leaked from the bottom of the gates that could not be closed completely.

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