Kaleshwaram project: Another water leakage found at two gates of Annaram barrage

Hyderabad: Villagers on Wednesday were alerted of another barrage leak in the construction of the prestigious Kaleshwaram project, this time at the Annaram Saraswati Barrage in Mahadevpur mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. It was reported that the water leakage was noticed at two gates, number 28 and 38.

This is the second leakage reported in the Kaleshwaram project. On October 21, pillar number 15 to 20 of the Medigadda (Lakshmi Barrage) barrage sunk in. The National Dam Safety Authority constituted a six-member committee to inspect the water leakage and the investigation is on.

According to sources, a group of villagers in a fishing boat were seen throwing stones at the sandbags which have been kept near the pillar.

The second leakage was reported at a time when the water in the barrage was 5.71 tmc. The irrigation officials released 2,357 cusecs of water downstream. The irrigation officials have used sandbags near the pillars to stop the leakages. This barrage was constructed as a part of the Kaleshwaram Upliftment Scheme for water storage of 10.87 tmc.

What caused the leakage?

Leakage has been attributed to faulty construction, lack of supervision during the building of the foundation and technical misadventure, according to officials. A senior engineer from Hyderabad, on condition of anonymity, explained, “The foundation sand is not properly packed and the construction supervisors have not pointed it out. In huge contracts, most of the works are subcontracted and the contractor assigned has not done the work as required. It is an engineering and supervision failure.”

The leakage in the months of winter, when the water flow is limited, has helped to check the damage in time. Questions have been raised by the locals about their condition, especially regarding people from nearby villages, if the leakage would have occurred during the rainy season.

Challenges to pumping water

Both Medigadda and Annaram Saraswati barrages will now require proper repairs. Another engineer explained, “The foundations will have to be reworked. Till then pumping water into the dam is not feasible.”

Water issues of people

Kaleshwaram is a pet project of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in line with their promises to provide water to the people of Telangana. It is yet to be known whether the project will be able to help people overcome water issues which come with the summer season.

Officials have said that farmers have benefitted from the project for their seasonal crops. The water has helped aid development in the area and surrounding districts. The project is one of the lifelines for the people and its damage raises questions about meeting the demand for water in Telangana.

Rahul Gandhi to visit Kaleshwaram

In the public meeting at Kalwakurthy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "The leakage in the barrages makes it important to visit the Kaleshwaram project personally. KCR has significantly raised the project cost to Rs one lakh crore. He has looted the people of Telangana of Rs one lakh crore in this project."

Maintenance works at the barrage

Annaram Saraswati Barrage officials after a huge and cry with the videos stated that it was routine maintenance works. A Yadagiri, Executive Engineer, Annaram Barrage says, "Our engineers observed seepage three days back and for that reason we have taken up maintenance works. Seepage is within the permissible limits and there is no carriage of soil or sand particles. Storage levels in both Annaram and Saraswathi barrages are being reduced as precautionary measure."

Why seepage in winter?

The moot question is why is there seepage now in winter month? Seepage is noted during monsoon season but for the water to seep now will require a 'reason'. What is that?