Amaravati: The committee of experts warned that alternatives to divert the floodwaters from the Srisailam reservoir should be focused otherwise the dam's safety would be at peril. The panel suggested making arrangements to divert water from the right and left and the construction of another new spillway or raising the dam's height. It recommended immediate repairs and rehabilitation of dams and spillways, including plumbing. Made it clear that the current spillway was not up to capacity.
Several committees have been set up over the years on the safety of the Srisailam dam. These recommendations have not been implemented. The committee was set up in February 2020 with AB Pandya as the former chairman of the Central Water Board. The CWC has submitted a report on the study of Srisailam flood flow in 2021. The Pandya Committee has recently submitted a final report on the recommendations of the previous committees, the findings of the CWC review, and the action taken. The highlights of the report are as follows.
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"The highest flood flow potential in millennia was studied in 2006 and it was found that there was a possibility of a flood of 26.5 lakh cusecs. The existing spillway capacity is 13.20 lakh cusecs. The maximum water level is 14.55 lakh cusecs considering 890 feet. However, in 2009 there was a flood of 25.5 lakh cusecs. The water level in the dam reached 896 feet and 14.80 lakh cusecs were let out through the gates. A study of maximum flood flow in 2006 brought it closer to 2009. But, the Central Water Commission, which conducted the study in 2021, said nothing about it. "According to our study, the maximum flood was 17.88 lakh cusecs. The CWC has studied the entire catchment area and divided it into 256 sub-catchment areas," the Pandya Committee said in its report. The committee recommended that the PMF be re-examined before initiating measures for the dam's safety.
"The huge pit was formed in the area where waterfalls from the spillway gates, which spill again, are a threat to the dam's safety. Immediate action should be taken on this. Measures should be taken to prevent water leakage from the main spillway gates. Immediate attention should be paid to river sluice gates as there is a risk of problems during emergencies. There is a possibility of constructing an additional spillway in the distance. The additional spillway should have a breaching section. At the top left is an area suitable for the diversion of water. One way to do this is to empty the water in the dam in advance. Modification of existing spillways to have higher rates and reduction of spillway crust level should be considered. The sinkhole problem should also be taken into account to increase the height of the dam to accommodate the current maximum water storage."
