National dam safety team faults planning, and design of Kaleshwaram project’s barrage in Telangana

  • November 4, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
No Comments

 

 

National dam safety team faults planning, and design of Kaleshwaram project’s barrage in Telangana

Subject : Geography

Section: Places in news

Context:

  • The six-member expert team of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) examined the sinking of piers in Block-7 of the Medigadda (Laxmi) Barrage of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Telangana.

Details:

  • The committee stated that a combination of issues involving planning, design, quality control and operation and maintenance have led to the damage.
  • Two other barrages — Annaram and Sundilla barrages — have also similar designs and construction methodologies.

Madigadda barrage:

  • The Lakshmi Barrage, also known as the Medigadda Barrage is the starting point of the Kaleshwaram Project which envisages the construction of three barrages between Yellampally & Medigadda.
  • Its objective is to utilize Godavari water for drinking and irrigation. The Barrage/Project site is located at Medigadda Village, Mahadevpur Mandal, Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in Telangana State, India.

Kaleshwaram irrigation project:

  • It is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, Telangana.
  • The project starts at the confluence point of the Pranahita River and Godavari River.
  • Originally called the Pranahita-Chevella project in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, it was redesigned, extended and renamed as the Kaleshwaram project in Telangana in 2014.

Need of the project:

  • It would bring drinking water and irrigation to the backward areas of Telangana.
  • It will also help to restore the groundwater level to its original state by the way of shifting from the usage of groundwater for irrigation to the usage of surface water.
  • The project will also support Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha schemes designed to provide drinking water to many villages and improve the capacities of tanks.

National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA):

  • The Dam Safety Act 2021 was introduced in response to dam failures caused by deficient surveillance and maintenance.
  • It establishes key responsibilities and requires the formation of national and state-level bodies for its implementation.
  • The Act outlines the following provisions:
    • National Committee on Dam Safety: Responsible for overseeing dam safety policies and regulations.
    • National Dam Safety Authority: Tasked with implementing and resolving state-level disputes.
    • Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC): Heads dam safety protocols at the national level.
    • State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) and State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO): To be established at the state level.

Source of this article: The Hindu 

Geography National dam safety team faults planning