Medigadda barrage rehabilitation may include full-width diaphragm wall, says Minister
Telangana's Irrigation Minister says Medigadda barrage may get an end-to-end diaphragm wall, with stilling basins at all three Kaleshwaram barrages to be strengthened.
The rehabilitation of the Medigadda barrage, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, is likely to involve the construction of a diaphragm wall spanning its entire width, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said.
Speaking to reporters at Huzurnagar in Suryapet district on Sunday, the Minister said such a wall would give the barrage's foundation comprehensive protection. He added that the stilling basins downstream of all three barrages — Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla — may also need to be strengthened and extended to slow floodwaters and improve energy dissipation.
"The proposal under consideration is to construct a diaphragm wall from one end to the other at Medigadda barrage. The existing stilling basins may also have to be strengthened and extended to control the velocity of floodwaters," he said.
The measures follow a preliminary review of extensive technical tests carried out at the three barrages. However, the final rehabilitation designs are still awaited from IIT Bombay and engineering consultancy AFRY India, the agencies commissioned by the government for the task.
The Minister said the soil, concrete and foundation tests recommended by the National Dam Safety Authority were nearing completion, and the design agencies were studying the results to decide the precise structural interventions needed at each barrage.
A final design report is expected in two to three weeks. The government plans to start rehabilitation work in November or December and finish it by June 2027, ahead of the next monsoon.
Mr. Reddy noted that repairing the damaged barrages was technically more challenging than building a new structure, but said the government had chosen to go ahead with repair, rehabilitation and rebuilding in Telangana's larger interests.
On Godavari water use, he said a record 340 tmc ft was utilised in 2025-26, even as the faulty Kaleshwaram barrages left the State unable to draw any water from them.