Dimensions:

■ State-Centre Collaboration: Project supported by the central government.

■ Target Completion: Within 2 years, as per CM Chandrababu Naidu.

■ Goal: Divert Godavari water to Tirupati, fulfilling a long-held vision.

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The long pending work on the Polavaram irrigation project is finally underway and the contractor company has started the construction work of the diaphragm wall. The related Bhoomi Pooja and Homan were also held recently. The state government has restarted the project by starting the construction of a new diaphragm wall to replace the diaphragm wall that was washed away in the 2020 floods. The.

Diaphragm wall with plastic concrete mixture

The Diaphragm Wall or D-Wall forms the foundation of the Earth-Cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) dam. It ensures the structure's strength and durability for generations to come. In fact, the construction of the diaphragm wall was already completed when the TDP government was in power. However, the wall was damaged due to the floods in 2020. Sand erosion has formed depressions.

Currently, the government is constructing a new diaphragm wall by filling them and hardening them using the vibro-compaction method. For this, the diaphragm wall will be constructed with 383 panels and more than one lakh cubic meters of plastic concrete mixture. Trench cutters, heavy grabbers, and desanding machines have also been brought from Germany for the construction of this diaphragm wall.

Rs. 990 crore for new diaphragm wall

The government has estimated that the new diaphragm wall will cost Rs 990 crore. The government has started the construction of a new diaphragm wall with a length of 1396 meters and a thickness of one and a half meters. The wall will be constructed from a minimum of 20 meters and a maximum depth of 90 meters. The government has undertaken the new construction 6 meters above the old diaphragm wall.

As soon as the construction of the diaphragm wall is half completed, the government has issued an action schedule to undertake the construction of an earth-cum-rock fill dam on top of it. This single-structure wall will run parallel to the damaged wall, ensuring robust flood resilience and enhanced water retention capacity of the Polavaram project. The introduction of plastic concrete in its construction underscores the focus on durability and long-term effectiveness, critical to the project’s success.

The state government is taking the Polavaram project with the support of the Centre. CM Chandrababu Naidu has said that the Polavaram project will be completed within two years and has expressed confidence that the state will not face any problem if the Polavaram project is connected to Banakacharla. CM Chandrababu Naidu says that his life's ambition is to divert the Godavari water to the feet of Lord Venkateswara Swamy in Tirupati and pay off the debt of Rayalaseema.

The Polavaram project is the most crucial in river connectivity.