No damage to Prakasam barrage structure, says expert

Vijayawada: Eminent dam safety expert and state govt advisor Kannaiah Naidu has affirmed that the structural integrity of the Prakasam Barrage remains uncompromised.
He asserted that the barrage's robust construction ensures its safety, allaying any concerns regarding its stability. Kannaiah Naidu conducted a meticulous inspection of the barrage in the aftermath of boats colliding with the structure due to the torrential floods.
During his comprehensive two-hour examination, he discovered minor damages to two crest gates and personally assessed the functionality of the gates' operating mechanism during his visit.
"The dam's safety is not in jeopardy. Its structural strength is sufficient to withstand the entire designed capacity of flood water. We will need to undertake minor repairs to the gates that sustained damage when boats collided with them at high velocity during the flood," stated Kannaiah Naidu.
He instructed the officials to deploy expert swimmers to remove the boats entangled in the gates and mentioned that repairs to the damaged gates could commence once the flood waters recede. He specified that the flood water level should decrease to at least five lakh cusecs before initiating the repair work.
Former water resources minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao was assigned to assist Kannaiah Naidu during the visit, as minister Nimmala Ramanaidu and other senior officials of the water resources department were accompanying the chief minister in the flood-affected areas of the city. The former minister mentioned that they were bringing in expert swimmers from Kakinada to remove the boats.
Kannaiah Naidu was appointed as state govt advisor for the water resources department following his recent intrepid feat of installing a stoplog at the Tungabhadra dam.