The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Efforts on to protect Prakasam barrage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 03, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Efforts on to protect Prakasam barrage

G. V. Ramana Rao

Situation is not as alarming as is being projected: Superintending Engineer

VIJAYAWADA: The Irrigation authorities are `leaving no stone unturned' to ensure that the Prakasam barrage, which has an ayacut of 13.5 lakhs acres, is provided with adequate protection. The experts committee is being summoned once again in the second week of June to decide the way the foundation of the barrage should be protected in front of the scour vents located on either end of the barrage.

The department is taking several extra precautions to create an awareness among people that the situation is not as "alarming" as is being projected.

The barrage is located about 100 feet upstream of the old anicut. The construction of the barrage commenced in 1954 and completed in 1957.

The barrage has been denied the mandatory repairs and maintenance since the Vijayawada Thermal Power Station came into operation in 1979. The maintenance of 12 feet water at the Prakasam barrage primarily constructed to regulate water into the canals became a bone of contention between the Irrigation authorities and the APSEB (now divided into APGENCO and AP Transco). The irrigation authorities maintained that water in the pond upstream of the barrage should be depleted every year to take up repair and maintenance works. The APSEB, on the other hand, insisted that the pond be maintained at full level to ensure that water flowed by gravity into the thermal power plants cooling canal.

After many representations by the irrigation authorities, the State Government granted the conduct of various investigations on the barrage to ascertain if there was any cause for alarm.

Videographic study

Trained personnel of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) conducted an underwater videographic study of the barrage piers in January 2001. Each pier was scanned from top to bottom and the point where the pier made contact with the concrete apron. The study revealed damage on piers 5/6, 6/7, 8/9, 25/26, and 34/35 and that the crest gates were in a very bad condition. The State Government immediately sanctioned Rs 10.50 crores for replacing all the 70 crest gates that were in a very poor condition. The work was taken up in 2003-04 and completed with floating bulkhead without depleting water in the pond. A team of experts from the Central Water Commission (CWC) inspected the barrage in November 2001 and suggested that the VTPS make its own arrangements for cooling needs and should not depend entirely on Prakasam barrage. The team recommended that some measures be taken to protect the barrage. As a follow- up, a team of experts was constituted to suggest the works needed for protecting the 50-year-old structure.

The Vijayawada circle Superintending Engineer, J.Rajendra Prasad, told The Hindu on Thursday that there was no need for any alarm. The protection works were taken up to ensure that there was no damage to the foundation of the barrage or to the piers.

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