By Sampat G. Samritan

Copyright deccanchronicle

Vijayawada: Polavaram multi-purpose project works have gone on uninterrupted despite the Godavari River witnessing heavy floods during the on-going monsoon. Around 12 lakh cusecs of water has been discharged from the project’s spillway from July to September so far.Based on the direction of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that all project works should be completed by the end of 2027, Water Resources authorities, along with Polavaram Project Authority, Central Water Commission and other stakeholder agencies, apart from construction companies with support from a panel of international experts, have drafted timelines to complete various components of the project in a stipulated manner.Accordingly, in anticipation of floods in the Godavari River during the monsoon season, authorities deployed 116 heavy duty capacity pumps of 88 horsepower and 68.5 horsepower in the work area between the upper and lower coffer dams to take up dewatering. This helped evacuate river water seeping from both the coffer dams and the river bed. As a result, crucial works related to earth-cum-rock-fill dam at Gap-1 of the scoured portion and the parallel diaphragm, important components of the project, have gone on uninterrupted.Authorities said continuous works even in face of heavy floods enabled them to complete nearly 6,600 square metres of parallel diaphragm wall during August, which is being considered as a major achievement, while taking up works on a major component of the project.The international panel of experts has lauded the AP Water Resources department for continuing works in adverse conditions, unlike the earlier practice of stopping project works completely during the monsoon period.Authorities have completed the buttress dam at the upper cofferdam to ensure that there is no seepage of flood water from it. The panel of experts has advised AP authorities to examine construction of the buttress dam at the lower cofferdam too, if required, to avoid seepage of flood water into the work area.In addition, authorities have been asked to document works of the project, mainly at G-Hill, where grouting procedure, test-grouting and blasting of rocks are being carried out, so that works, based on requirement, could be taken up in the future.Polavaram project superintendent engineer R. Ramachandra Rao said, “We have continued works of the Polavaram project uninterrupted even as Godavari River witnessed heavy floods. We would like to avoid any delay in the project works.”