Hyderabad: The Telangana govt will begin repair and rehabilitation works on the three barrages of the Kaleshwaram project — Medigadda, Sundilla and Annaram — by mid-Nov, with the works scheduled for completion by June 2027.Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday announced that the designs prepared by IIT Bombay and AFRY India would be placed before the Central Water Commission (CWC) technical oversight committee at its meeting on Oct 5. Tenders for the works will be floated after the committee’s approval, he said.Sources said the two agencies and other technical experts suggested that the diaphragm walls of the three barrages be raised from one end to the other, as they suspected weaknesses in the foundations. The agencies also reportedly suggested that the downstream portions of the barrages be extended and strengthened, as issues had been identified at all three barrages.Reviewing the rehabilitation proposals with senior irrigation officials, Uttam said the state govt had finalised designs for restoring the safety and operational reliability of all three barrages.“The rehabilitation scheme prepared by the project designer includes strengthening the foundations through grouting, extending the stilling basins and constructing fresh cutoff walls. These interventions are intended to address deficiencies in the earlier energy-dissipation arrangements, foundation stability and under-seepage control,” the minister said.Uttam said the rehabilitation strategy had been formulated after taking into account the concerns raised by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and other expert bodies regarding the safety of the barrages.“There will be no compromise on structural safety or the quality of rehabilitation. The works will be executed strictly based on scientific studies and the recommendations of national technical institutions,” he said.The minister said the proposed designs were undergoing validation through computational fluid dynamics modelling at the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune. The modelling would assess hydraulic behaviour and verify the efficiency of the proposed energy-dissipation measures under different flow conditions.The designs would be presented to the technical oversight committee under the Central Water Commission in New Delhi on Oct 5 for expert examination and recommendations.Uttam also directed irrigation officials to complete all preparatory work simultaneously to avoid delays after technical clearance was received. The Irrigation and Command Area Development Department was preparing detailed cost estimates and finalising the contractual mechanism required for govt approval, he said.The minister said the execution framework would incorporate stringent quality-control procedures, independent testing and clearly defined timelines. Senior officials would continuously monitor progress to ensure that the rehabilitation was completed before the next monsoon.“The three barrages will be operated only after the rehabilitation works are completed, and the requisite safety clearances are received from the national authorities,” Uttam said.
