Hyderabad: A team of experts from the Central Water Power Research Station (CWPRS) arrived at Srisailam Dam early Tuesday morning, ready to carry out a three-day inspection of its plunge pool a critical part of the dam that’s been at the center of safety worries lately. This isn’t their first visit; just last month, on May 20, they looked into several safety issues tied to the dam’s structure, and now they’re back for a more thorough check.
The attention on Srisailam Dam intensified after last month’s heavy floods left the plunge pool in bad shape, with its concrete steel cylinder drums taking a heavy hit and a large hole forming as a result. That plunge pool is crucial for soaking up the force of water released from the dam, keeping the foundation from washing away over time. The damage has stirred up unease among locals and officials alike, with fears growing about the dam’s overall safety in recent days. Back on May 20, a team from the Central Designs Organisation (CDO), led by Chief Engineer Vijayabhaskar, also checked out the broken plunge pool, making it clear that repairs can’t wait much longer.
Srisailam Dam, a shared lifeline for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, powers homes and irrigates farmlands across both states, but it’s been facing tough questions about its upkeep. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had already raised a warning earlier this year about risks that need attention. The plunge pool’s current state is especially concerning during flood season, and that new hole could spell trouble for other projects downstream like the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam if Srisailam’s foundation weakens further.
Things get more complicated with Srisailam Reservoir seeing small but steady trickles of floodwater over the past week, thanks to heavy rains soaking the upstream states along the Krishna River, including Karnataka and Maharashtra. These inflows haven’t reached dangerous levels yet, but they could make repair work harder if the water keeps coming, possibly pushing back efforts to fix the plunge pool and address the dam’s safety risks.
The CWPRS team’s work over the next three days will focus on getting a clear understanding of the plunge pool’s damage, putting together a plan for quick fixes, and suggesting ways to keep the dam secure for years to come. Their findings will likely guide the next steps for the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, who are under pressure to protect the millions of people relying on the dam for water and electricity.
