A team of global experts on Sunday began examining the under-construction Polavaram multipurpose dam across the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh to salvage the project, which was stalled due to massive damage to its diaphragm wall caused by floods in the past.
The experts were brought in to recommend ways to repair the damaged portion of the dam. Since the TDP government took over, the focus has once again shifted to building a capital city and completing the Polavaram dam, described as the lifeline of the truncated state.
The team, comprising experts from the US and Canada, will examine each section of the project until July 3 and submit their report on how to restart the project. Experts like David B Paul and Gian Franco Di Cicco from the US and Richard Donnelly and Sean Hinchberger from Canada visited the dam site on Sunday and inspected the cofferdams, the diaphragm wall, and the guide bund. The Central Water Commission chose the experts since they have expertise in areas like dam safety, structural engineering, hydraulic structures, geotechnical engineering, and civil engineering.
Before they arrived at Rajahmundry, the global experts also met the central and state government officials of the water resources department. The experts will hold discussions with the Polavaram Project Authority, Central Water Commission, the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS), the private contractor involved in the construction, and other stakeholders. They will assess the dam’s safety and management, civil engineering and hydraulic structures, and the challenges faced by the project before submitting a report to the Polavaram Project Authority.
The work on the upper and lower cofferdams and the diaphragm wall began during the tenure of the previous TDP government. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently released a White Paper on the Polavaram project, describing the project as beyond imagination. He also accused the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government of diverting central grants worth Rs 3,385 crore over the past five years. The cost escalation for rebuilding the damaged parts would be 38 per cent, the Chief Minister said. A total sum of Rs 12,157 crore will be required to complete Phase I of the project.