Complete Srisailam Reservoir Repairs by May 2025, NDSA Tells AP Water Resources Dept
7 Mar, 2025 11:15 IST|Sakshi Post
National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) Chairman Anil Jain has directed the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department to complete repairs in the plunge pool area of the Srisailam Reservoir by the end of May.
During a video conference chaired by Anil Jain and NDSA member Vivek Tripathi, who also leads the Panel of Experts, officials from the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) were instructed to submit a report on the pit created in the reservoir and erosion of the plunge pool by the unprecedented floods of 2009. The NDSA will review the report and finalize the repair procedures, Jain stated.
Senior officials from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including the Engineers-in-Chief of the States, Venkateswara Rao and Anil Kumar, attended the meeting.
Recalling the 2009 deluge, the NDSA Chairman noted that the Srisailam Reservoir received 26.08 lakh cusecs, well above its capacity of 19 lakh cusecs, leading to the erosion of the plunge pool. Emphasizing that the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department had been ordered to undertake repairs immediately, Jain questioned why this had not been done.
In response, Venkateswara Rao explained that it had been decided that CWPRS experts would study the pit.
When the issue of who is responsible for the reservoir repairs was raised during the meeting, the NDSA Chairman clarified that, as Andhra Pradesh is managing the Srisailam Reservoir, it is the owner and, therefore, responsible for the safety of the project.
Referring to the Dam Safety Act, Telangana ENC Anil Kumar suggested that, as Telangana is managing the Nagarjuna Sagar Project, the responsibility for its safety lies with Telangana. AP ENC Venkateswara Rao objected, emphasizing that, according to a gazette notification issued by the Centre in July 2021, the joint Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects should have been handed over to the Krishna River Management Board. A case regarding this matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
