Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said that an end-to-end diaphragm wall (D-wall) may be needed for the rehabilitation of the damaged Medigadda barrage, where some piers were damaged in October 2023.
Speaking to media persons at Huzurnagar, Revanth Reddy said, “The proposal under consideration is to construct a diaphragm wall from one end to the other at Medigadda barrage. The existing stilling basins may also have to be strengthened and extended to control the velocity of floodwaters.”
The structures known as stilling basins, located downstream of the barrage, are also expected to be strengthened and extended to reduce the velocity of floodwaters and improve energy dissipation. These interventions are being considered based on preliminary examination of the extensive technical tests conducted at the three barrages, including the ones at Annaram and Sundilla.
The minister clarified that the final rehabilitation designs were yet to be submitted. IIT Bombay and the engineering consultancy AFRY India have been engaged to study the test reports and prepare the repair and rehabilitation designs.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had utilised a record 340 tmc ft of Godavari water during 2025–26 — the highest since the formation of the state. He said the previous BRS government had never achieved such high utilisation during its 10-year tenure. “Despite the adverse impact of El Nino, Telangana utilised 340 tmc ft of Godavari water this year. This is the highest utilisation recorded in the history of the state,” the minister said.
The minister alleged that Telangana was now suffering not only because of El Nino but also due to the consequences of the decisions taken by the previous BRS government. He said that had the original Pranahita Chevella project been constructed at Tummidihatti as envisaged, the river Pranahita waters could have been impounded and nearly 165 tmc ft utilised for the benefit of northern Telangana.
“Instead of completing the project at Tummidihatti, the BRS government shifted it to Medigadda. After this shift, the barrages constructed as part of the project suffered serious structural failures,” he said.
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