Between Hirakud dam and local weather change, spillway plan stutters

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR:  Depleted water holding capability of Hirakud Dam reservoir and excessive rainfall occasions induced by local weather change can current an unprecedented problem of flood administration in Mahanadi river, if the medium degree flood of August was any indication. Dam security is a complete completely different challenge in such a state of affairs.

That was the rationale Central Water Commission (CWC) had really helpful building of further spillways to guard world’s longest earthen dam. Yet, the primary of the 2 proposed spillways is but to get off floor; or relatively removed from it.

Construction work of the left spillway underneath the World Bank (WB)-funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) was left mid-way as a consequence of displacement points.  It was being carried out by a three way partnership of Tata Projects Limited and Turkey-based AGE Group.

Sources stated, after the Tata-AGE JV backed out of the `369 crore WB-funded venture in 2020, the State authorities cancelled the work contract and determined to assemble the extra spillway with its personal funding by Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC). Subsequently, the venture was additionally dropped from DRIP.

The estimated value of the only spillway has now been revised to `786 crore. The venture entails rehabilitation of 716 households and 1429 households which was the bone of competition behind the delay in finishing up the work.

While the JV has moved the tribunal towards cancellation of labor contract alleging delay in handing over of land for the venture by the federal government, officers in Water Resources division stated the corporations withdrew after realising the bid quantity was too much less.

The spillway is vital to Hirakud’s well being as a result of it may lower load of water on the dam in case the reservoir reaches a peak most flood (PMF) degree attributable to excessive precipitation occasions.As per accessible information, the CWC had reviewed the influx design flood and pegged PMF at 69,632 cubic metre/sec (24.5 lakh cusec) in 1997. Against it, the present complete discharge capability stands at 42,450 cubic metre/sec (15 lakh cusec) however efficient discharge is about 36,806 cubic metre/sec (13 lakh cusec) as a consequence of operational constraint of few gates.This successfully means, in case of maximum rainfall occasions, the dam must grapple with administration of about 12 lakh cusec flood water per second.

Hirakud dam security spillway plan stutters

Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources division Anu Garg stated building of further spillways is precedence of the federal government. “The work will start soon once the revised estimate gets Finance department’s nod,” she informed The New Indian Express. Recently, the dam security division had alerted Hirakud dam authorities about cracks in gate operation gallery and prompt drone based mostly inspection for frequent monitoring of seepage amount and additional research of basis gallery, gate shaft and sluice barrels.

Though survey was to be taken up a minimum of as soon as in each 5 years, it identified, no recent survey for mapping of recent cracks and checking standing of previous cracks has been undertaken since 1999. Chief Engineer of Mahanadi basin Anand Chandra Sahu stated, revised estimate for the primary further spillway is within the ultimate stage of approval. “Since the revised estimate is more than 15 per cent of the primary estimate, the Finance department sought some clarifications, which we submitted recently. Hopefully, the OCC will soon get the administrative and financial approvals soon,” he stated.

VARANASI CAPITAl
With India taking up SCO’s rotating Presidency, all member states endorsed Varanasi because the first-ever vacationer and cultural capital of the grouping for the 12 months 2022-23

BHUBANESWAR:  Depleted water holding capability of Hirakud Dam reservoir and excessive rainfall occasions induced by local weather change can current an unprecedented problem of flood administration in Mahanadi river, if the medium degree flood of August was any indication. Dam security is a complete completely different challenge in such a state of affairs.

That was the rationale Central Water Commission (CWC) had really helpful building of further spillways to guard world’s longest earthen dam. Yet, the primary of the 2 proposed spillways is but to get off floor; or relatively removed from it.

Construction work of the left spillway underneath the World Bank (WB)-funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) was left mid-way as a consequence of displacement points.  It was being carried out by a three way partnership of Tata Projects Limited and Turkey-based AGE Group.

Sources stated, after the Tata-AGE JV backed out of the `369 crore WB-funded venture in 2020, the State authorities cancelled the work contract and determined to assemble the extra spillway with its personal funding by Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC). Subsequently, the venture was additionally dropped from DRIP.

The estimated value of the only spillway has now been revised to `786 crore. The venture entails rehabilitation of 716 households and 1429 households which was the bone of competition behind the delay in finishing up the work.

While the JV has moved the tribunal towards cancellation of labor contract alleging delay in handing over of land for the venture by the federal government, officers in Water Resources division stated the corporations withdrew after realising the bid quantity was too much less.

The spillway is vital to Hirakud’s well being as a result of it may lower load of water on the dam in case the reservoir reaches a peak most flood (PMF) degree attributable to excessive precipitation occasions.As per accessible information, the CWC had reviewed the influx design flood and pegged PMF at 69,632 cubic metre/sec (24.5 lakh cusec) in 1997. Against it, the present complete discharge capability stands at 42,450 cubic metre/sec (15 lakh cusec) however efficient discharge is about 36,806 cubic metre/sec (13 lakh cusec) as a consequence of operational constraint of few gates.This successfully means, in case of maximum rainfall occasions, the dam must grapple with administration of about 12 lakh cusec flood water per second.

Hirakud dam security spillway plan stutters

Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources division Anu Garg stated building of further spillways is precedence of the federal government. “The work will start soon once the revised estimate gets Finance department’s nod,” she informed The New Indian Express. Recently, the dam security division had alerted Hirakud dam authorities about cracks in gate operation gallery and prompt drone based mostly inspection for frequent monitoring of seepage amount and additional research of basis gallery, gate shaft and sluice barrels.

Though survey was to be taken up a minimum of as soon as in each 5 years, it identified, no recent survey for mapping of recent cracks and checking standing of previous cracks has been undertaken since 1999. Chief Engineer of Mahanadi basin Anand Chandra Sahu stated, revised estimate for the primary further spillway is within the ultimate stage of approval. “Since the revised estimate is more than 15 per cent of the primary estimate, the Finance department sought some clarifications, which we submitted recently. Hopefully, the OCC will soon get the administrative and financial approvals soon,” he stated.

VARANASI CAPITAl
With India taking up SCO’s rotating Presidency, all member states endorsed Varanasi because the first-ever vacationer and cultural capital of the grouping for the 12 months 2022-23