Water being pumped out from diaphragm wall at Polavaram project site in Andhra Pradesh

It is essential to enable experts to check its structural stability, says Water Resources Minister Ambati Rambabu

Water Resources Minister Ambati Rambabu on Sunday said water was being pumped out from the diaphragm wall to carry out a technical investigation on its structural stability at the Polavaram irrigation project site in Eluru district.

Mr. Rambabu, accompanied by Polavaram project Superintendent Engineer K. Narasimha Murthy, inspected the site and enquired about the status of the upper and lower cofferdam works.

“The diaphragm wall is still under the sheet of water. Hence, water is being pumped out to enable the experts from National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) to inspect it physically and carry out technical investigation on its structural stability,” Mr. Rambabu said in an official release.

“The NHPC experts will have to offer their advice to proceed with the component of the diaphragm wall,” said Mr. Rambabu.

The visit of the NHPC experts had to be postponed recently as there was no possibility of visiting the site due to Godavari floods.

The Minister said that the lower cofferdam works had already commenced. He said the outflow at present was 50,000 cusecs at the Polavaram project.