Dam Safety Panel report of Medigadda Dam Disaster indicts Telangana, L&T and Dam Safety in India

The Dam Safety Panel from Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has submitted its report on Nov 1, 2023, which says the disaster at the Medigadda Dam occurred “due to a combination of issues involving planning, design, quality control and Operation and maintenance” of the Dam. The report concludes: “The barrage under the present condition is rendered useless until fully rehabilitated.”

By now some six pillars of Block 7 of the Medigadda barrage on Godavari river along Maharashtra Telangana Border have been found to have sunk, as noticed first in the evening of Oct 21 2023.[i]

Underlining that the problem is affecting the whole Dam and rehabilitating the thole dam, and not only the six piers of 7^th block, the report says: “the likelihood of the failure of other blocks resulting in a similar mode exists. This would warrant rehabilitating the whole barrage.”

The report goes further and says that two other barrages of the Kaleshwaram may suffer the safe fate: “The two barrages constructed upstream of Medigadda under the Kaleshwaram Project, viz; Annaram andSundilla barages, have similar designs and construction methodologies, making them prone to similar failure modes. Signs of boiling already exist downstream of Annaram Barrage, a precursor to failure. These barrages also should be examined urgently for signs of piping/ distress.”

The letter dated Nov 1 2023 from Union Govt’s Sanjay Kumar Sibal, additional Secretary to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, to the Telangana Additional Chief Secretary Water Resources, Shri Rajat Kumar accompanying the report says: “A detailed investigation may be carried out to determine the failure’s causes.” The letter asks the Telangana official to report to the Union Govt about such an investigation, remedial measures for the Medigadda Dam and two other upstream barrages which are part of the Kaleshwaram Project.

Indicting the L&T Ltd, the company that constructed the dam, the report says: “The construction methodology adopted for transverse cut-offs has imposed different conditions than what was assumed in the design. The alignment of the flared-out wall provided upstream of the barrage makes the barrage hydraulic deficient.”

The report says: “There are deficiencies in the project planning & design as well. The Barrage has been designed as a floating structure but constructed as a rigid structure.” It is interesting to know that, this means that CWC, Union Ministry of NDSA had no clue about this major gap between design and actual construction of the dam!

Lapses on Operation and Maintenance: What did CWC do to correct it? The report says: “The dam owner is supposed to undertake sounding and probing in the apron area every year immediately after the monsoon to assess the scours and launching of aprons in the vicinity of structures. The non-launching portion should also be carefully examined, particularly downstream, to ensure the effectiveness of the inverted filter. The upstream floor should be inspected every year early in the fair weather season by probing and using underwater lamps. A careful inspection of joints is also to be carried out. The dam owners have not inspected or maintained the cement concrete blocks or launching aprons since the commissioning of the barrage in 2019-20. In this regard, this maintenance deficiency of the dam owners has progressively weakened the barrage, leading to its failure. This is a significant lapse on the operation and maintenance front.”

If this was the state of the affairs since 2019-20, what did the CWC, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry and the NDSA do to correct this for so many years? Why did they wake up to such crucial lapses only after the disaster? If they did not know about this, it shows poor state of the governance of our dams by CWC, Union Jal Shakti Ministry and NDSA. And if they knew and could not do anything about it, it speaks worse about our Dam Safety Governance. Is this is the state of affairs at all over dams all over India?

A self-indictment of the Dam Safety Mechanism? Is the report a self-indictment of the Dam Safety Mechanism in India? That is written in large letters throughout the report.

The report concludes: “it is construed that the I&CAD (Irrigation and Command Area Development) Dept. has nothing to submit about instrumentation data, pre-monsoon &post monsoon inspection reports, completion reports, quality control reports, condition of gates and many other inputs sought in the list therein”.

How and why did the NDSA allow such a state of affairs to continue for such an important dam that has huge implications for life and economy as the report itself says? What steps did the NDSA take before this disaster struck to ensure that all these basic dam safety measures were indeed in place and functioning? What is NDSA doing to ensure that all such basic steps and measures are in place at all the large dams in India. What did NDSA do to ensure that this dam, important from the point of view of life and economy, was also listed in CWC’s National Register of Large Dams? What has NDSA done to ensure that CWC’s National Register is indeed updated every year with inclusion of all large dams of India as per its definition and all their salient features? What has NDSA done to ensure that all Dam Safety information is in public domain promptly?

The answer, unfortunately, seems like: NDSA has done nothing on any of these fronts. That way, the Medigadda Dam Safety Report is a self-indictment of India’s Dam Safety Mechanism.

Why no Dam Safety Panel on other Dam Disasters this year? It is interesting to see the alacrity shown by the Union Govt on this dam disaster. The disaster came to light on Oct 21, 2023. The very next day, on Oct 22, 2023, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti issues a letter constituting a Dam Safety Panel of six members headed by Shri Anil Jain, Chairman of National Dam Safety Authority and including Shri S K Sharma, R Thangamani, Rahul K Singh, Devendra Rao and Praveen Annepu, all part of CWC (Central Water Commission). On Oct 23, 2023, the DSP panel reaches Telangana, completes the vist on Oct 27, 2023. Issues deadline of Oct 29 2023 to provide necessary documents and brings out the report on Nov 1 2023. The report is already getting circulated in media on Nov 3 2023. [ii]

Immediately after the report was out, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat tweeted: “Exposed! K Chandrashekar Rao led Telangana govt’s corruption stands hopelessly exposed. It is appalling to know that the greed & corruption of the BRS govt has led to risking the lives of lakhs of people & loss of crores of rupees of taxpayers’ money”.

However, even the first movement is not seen even a month after in case of bigger dam safety disasters in Sikkim on Oct 3-4 2023[iii] involving not only washing away of 1200 MW Teesta 3 dam, but also severely damaging NHPC’s operating Teesta 5 dam, and under construction Teesta 6 dam and also the privately owned Dikchu Hydropower project.

Similarly there is massive landslide at India’s largest capacity, 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydropower Project on Assam Arunachal Pradesh border on Oct 27 2023[iv], where the full top brass of NHPC starting from Chairman and Managing Director downwards, and also senior officials of the Central Electricity Authority, Geological Society of India and also the contractor are camping. But till date there is no movement from NDSA or Union Jal Shakti Ministry.

There were similar dam disasters in Himachal Pradesh during the 2023 SW Monsoon[v] involving Larji Hydropower project, the Malana II Hydropower project and also wrong operation of Bhakra, Pong, Pindar and other dams, but there is no Dam Safety Panel in place. In Gujarat, Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada causes avoidable flood disaster on Sept 16-18 2023[vi], but there is again no report from Dam Safety Panel.

So while the prompt action about the Medigadda Dam Disaster is certainly welcome, we hope there is greater consistency in functioning of the NDSA, CWC and Jal Shakti Ministry so that criticism of use of the Dam Safety for political ends do not get any justification.

SANDRP (ht.sandrp@gmail.com)

POST SCRIPT: Nov 4 2023: TELANGANA RESPONSE: The Telangana irrigation department on Saturday (Nov 4 2023) dismissed the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report, calling the findings “unsubstantiated” or “made without full appreciation of the facts.” The department, in its response to NDSA chairman Sanjay Kumar Sibal said: “We have studied your comments and suggestions comprehensively, and noted that many of them are either unsubstantiated or made without a full appreciation of the facts.” Rajat Kumar added that “conclusions” were arrived at on causes of failure of ‘Laxmi’ Medigadda barrage “without any investigative work by the committee.”
– “Correct causes can be determined only after proper inspection of the foundation and other related structures, which are currently under water. Only after this investigative work is completed, we would be able to assess the correct reasons for the sinking of the piers in the barrage,” he said. With reference to the design of the raft foundations of the barrage and secant piles, the prototype for the flexible joint used at Medigadda was developed by the Central Water Commission and was used in the Tapovan project in Uttarakhand, he said. Rajat Kumar said NDSA comments on quality control are “unsubstantiated.”
– Rajat Kumar admitted: “pre-monsoon inspection (2023) could not be carried out. Other inspection reports were already submitted and a post-monsoon inspection will be carried out in November 2023.” He also said NDSA’s concerns over Annaram and Sundilla barrages were unsubstantiated as the expert committee did not visit them. All necessary measures will be taken, he said.
– Rajat Kumar, in his letter, said the “Kaleshwaram project was approved by the Technical Advisory Committee of the jal shakti ministry” on June 6, 2018, after thoroughly examining all aspects. He added that the CWC also had described the project as an “engineering marvel”.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/041123/state-calls-ndsa-findings-on-medigadda-unsubstantiated.html

2. Nov 4 2023: “The Kaleshwaram project was approved by the technical advisory committee (TAC) of the Jal Shakti ministry on June 6, 2018, after thoroughly examining all the aspects like hydrology, cost, irrigation planning, environmental clearances, etc. The design of the barrage was extensively studied by the costing directorate of CWC with respect to functionality and cost. The then chairman of CWC, S Masood Husain, visited Kaleshwaram project and praised the project in 2018 during its execution,” special chief secretary (irrigation) Rajat Kumar said in a letter to the Jal Shakti ministry on Saturday.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/t-irrigation-officials-trash-ndsas-medigadda-report/articleshow/104978481.cms

3. Nov 5 2023: Work to construct coffer dam to isolate the repair section from the river flow at the Medigadda dam will start on Monday, Nov 6 2023. The coffer dam, a temporary structure which can help maintain a dry work area for taking up the rehabilitation work in the affected stretches of the structure, would be built covering the impacted stretches due to sinking of the piers in Block no 7 for diverting water. The inflow into the project is over 24000 cusecs and efforts are being made to let out more volume to empty the project facilitating physical inspection of the structure for ascertaining the factors that contributed to sinking of the pillars. Irrigation Department officials are hopeful that the work on the cofferdam would be completed well before the end of this month. Once the cofferdam was ready, water pumping could be resumed to provide water for the crops in the entire ayacut of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme without any disruption in the irrigation schedule for Rabi.
https://telanganatoday.com/medigadda-coffer-dam-work-to-start-on-monday

4. Nov 11 2023: Dam sector experts, including serving and retired engineers and civil servants at the Centre and state who have worked in irrigation sector, said that a thorough investigation is required. “Piers and a raft sinking just four years after being commissioned is a rare thing. It raises serious questions about the future of the project,” said a senior NDSA official.
– More than half a dozen central agencies had given clearances for different aspects, including planning, hydrology and cost-benefit analysis. These agencies include the Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board, Central Soil and Material Research Station, Central Water and Power Research Station, and WAPCOS, a central public sector enterprise. Besides these, the Union Jal Shakti ministry’s Technical Advisory Committee had also approved the overall project.
– “If there were issues with planning and design, shouldn’t the central agencies have flagged it before giving clearances? Kaleshwaram is a mega project involving huge cost, and even the slightest deficiency can prove to be dangerous,” said a retired Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer who has handled the Polavaram dam project. S.K. Sibal, member (design and research), CWC, who also holds the additional charge of NDSA chairman, said, “We will not look into the design of the project if it has been approved by the state irrigation department’s Central Designs Organisation (CDO).” According to CWC guidelines, if a state submits a certificate from the CDO chief engineer saying they have examined the project design while preparing the detailed project report, there is no need for the commission to carry out a detailed examination of design aspects.
– In his reply to the NDSA on 1 November, state irrigation secretary Rajat Kumar said that there is a need to revise the apron design of the Medigadda barrage. Detailed model long studies were done jointly with IIT Hyderabad but the modifications could not be implemented due to continuous rains in the basin and flows in the barrage for the last three years. (The apron prevents abrasion due to water flow from the barrage.)
– An article was published in Telugu newspaper Eenadu this July based on the draft CAG report on the Kaleshwaram project. It said that, assuming the project would become fully operational from the year 2024-25, the funds required for operation — including debt servicing — would range from Rs 11,359 crore to Rs 25,109 crore. The electricity charges for lifting of water to the barrage would be over Rs 10,000 crore annually, according to the report.
– Kumar added that an investigation to examine the foundation structure and assess why the raft and piers sank, and if there has been an impact on the other blocks, will start by the end of the month. “Though there is no water stored in the barrage, there is inflow from the Godavari. We are building a temporary coffer dam upstream, where water from Medigadda will be diverted. This will be completed in the next 15-20 days. After the water is drained out, a team will go in and investigate,” he said. Venkateshwarlu, the engineer-in-chief of the project, said the restoration work would start once the investigation is complete. “It will take at least a year to repair and rehabilitate the project.” However, he added that the Medigadda barrage being out of commission would not come in the way of irrigating the areas downstream, where the Rabi cropping season has started.
https://theprint.in/india/centre-blames-telangana-for-defective-kaleshwaram-project-but-central-agencies-gave-clearances-too/1838202/

5. Nov 11 2023: The Irrigation officials have already sounded out three such organisations for shouldering the task. They are engaged in preliminary-level talks with their Indian counterparts. The agency to be entrusted with the responsibility will be finalised soon, they said.
– So far as the seepage at the Annaram dam was concerned, it was noticed twice in the past and addressed by adopting grouting methods. “This time we are thinking of sand-pumping to ensure that the surface beneath the structure remains compact and stable. These are all options tried out successfully in other dams all over India”, they added.
– “The Dam Safety Act, 2021 of the Central Government is basically intended to override the state dam safety organisations and the project authorities concerned. Identifying issues is done at all levels. The Dam Safety Act has made no provision for supporting the course of action with resources, said a senior irrigation official. Barring two projects in the state, the department has been facing issues with almost all the old projects. We are ready to address challenges in a professional manner.
https://telanganatoday.com/state-sounds-international-agencies-to-investigate-medigadda-episode

6. Nov 14 2023: Two institutions, including the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, have been conducting a study on certain technical issues being faced on the downstream apron of Medigadda and Annaram Barrages. The institutions that have been tasked with the study are expected to give their recommendations very soon, according to Irrigation officials. Based on their recommendations, if needed, further expansion of the aprons would be considered as part of the rehabilitation programme that was already in progress.
– Issues with the downstream aprons arise only when the gates are being lifted fully to let off the flood flow. Similar issues were faced in many barrages in the past. The apron prevents scouring due to heavy water flow from the barrage.
https://telanganatoday.com/telangana-technical-studies-on-medigadda-and-annaram-barrages-in-progress

References:

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[i] https://sandrp.in/2023/10/24/medigadda-barrage-of-kaleshwaram-project-in-telangana-damaged-in-oct-2023/

[ii] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/medigadda-barrage-sinking-kaleswaram-irrigation-project-telangana-assembly-election-multiple-failures-useless-central-panels-report-on-telangana-dam-4541863

[iii] https://sandrp.in/2023/10/04/glacial-lake-flood-destroys-teesta-3-dam-in-sikkim-brings-wide-spread-destruction/

[iv] https://sandrp.in/2023/10/28/massive-landslide-again-damages-lower-subansiri-hydro-project-in-oct-2023/

[v] https://sandrp.in/2023/10/11/dam-safety-act-the-role-of-dams-in-the-2023-hp-floods/

[vi] https://sandrp.in/2023/09/17/unaccountable-sardar-sarovar-operators-again-bring-avoidable-floods-in-downstream-gujarat/