No immediate danger to Srisailam dam gates, says expert

Hydro-mechanical engineer Nagineni Kannaiah Naidu has said the leakage to the crest gate No. 10 of the Srisailam project is less than 10% and does not pose any immediate threat.

Mr. Kannaiah Naidu visited the project and inspected the crest gates following reports of leakage from gate No. 10. He, however, said there is a need to take up repairs.

Mr. Kannaiah Naidu, who successfully installed a stoplog to replace a flood-damaged crest gate of the Tungabhadra reservoir last year, was appointed as an Advisor, Mechanical Department, of the AP State Water Resources Department in August last year.

Speaking after inspecting the gates, Mr. Kannaiah Naidu said 1.13 lakh cusecs were released from the gates during the 2009 floods. “In 2010, the gates were painted for the last time. Some portion of the bottom and sides of the gates have rusted and they need to be painted immediately,” he added.

He suggested to the superintending engineers and others where to repair, paint and strengthen the gates. A report will also be submitted to the government, he said.

Asserting that the leakage is 10% and the engineers are trying to plug the same, he maintained that there is no immediate danger. “The gates were fixed 42 years back and they still have five years life. If they are maintained properly, their life can be extended till 60 years and then replaced,” he said, adding that the gates of the Tungabhadra project lasted for 70 years.

The expert said that the government needs to make sufficient budgetary allocations for the maintenance of the gates. “There is no danger to the dam. Even the reports of danger to plunge pool are incorrect,” he said.