: There appears to be no end to the bad news on the Kaleshwaram project front with reports of agencies involved in the repairs and flood protection measures as recommended by the NDSA, struggling to bring up core samples from under the foundations of the Sundilla, Annaram, and Medigadda barrages of the project. “It is the Godavari. It is full of sand.
And as the drilling for the cores is going on, subsidence of the material is being encountered, resulting in imperfect core samples which might not really be of much help in finding remedial measures for protecting the barrages,” a source familiar with the developments has said. This situation has been encountered at all the three barrages, the source added. The Central Power and Water Research Station, Pune, which is consulting with the irrigation department on this issue, has been apprised of the situation and is awaiting further guidance on the next steps, the source said.
Just what exactly the nature of the river bed might mean for the safety of the barrages — whether short term or long-term — is uncertain, the source added. Incidentally, the National Dam Safety Authority which recommended several pre-monsoon protection works at the barrages too had made it clear that it was in a position to provide an assurance on how well these interim measures might hold out and protect the barrages during this monsoon’s flood season. As part of its recommendations, the NDSA sought drilling for core samples of the foundations, a.
