VIJAYAWADA: The state government has proposed to go for construction of a new diaphragm wall (D-wall) instead of taking up repairs to the damaged one.
The state government has sought permission from Union Jal Shakti ministry for construction of the new diaphragm wall. It is expected to cost around Rs 2,500 crore. Sources said that the Centre has routed the state government's proposal to the Central Water Commission (CWC) and advised it to submit its observations.
The D-wall was extensively damaged during massive floods to the Godavari in 2019 and 2020. National Hydro Power Corporation , which carried out an in-depth study, recommended that taking up repairs to the damaged portion of D-wall would suffice.
Centre tells CWC to submit report NHPC noted that completion of D-wall before construction of cofferdams has resulted in the damage to the underwater structure. It took over two years for the Jal Shakti ministry to conduct the study on the damage to the D-wall as the experts were divided in giving the road map to complete the project.
The state government felt that it was not wise to take up repairs to the damaged portions in view of the safety of the project.
The state government observed it would be difficult to assess the solidity of the new structure as well as the existing structure if the two ends of the damaged D-wall were filled and joined with the new portion. The Centre has asked CWC to study the proposals of the state government and submit a report within week. The Jal Shakti ministry also advised CWC to suggest measures to strengthen the cofferdams in view of the recent reports about leakages from the structures. The ministry wanted that PPA should play a proactive role. “PPA should be actively involved and ensure that the project works are going as per designs and timelines,” Union Jal Shakti secretary Pankaj Kumar directed.
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