Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed a safety audit of all the 173 dam structures in the state after Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil wrote to him that the state was lagging, even as the deadline was set to expire in December 2026. The Chief Minister also agreed to the repair of the barrages of the Kaleshwaram project and instructed officials to come up with plans and ensure contract agencies were held responsible for it.
Union Minister Patil had recently written a letter to Reddy, asking him to personally examine the issue of comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation mandated by the Dam Safety Act of 2021. Patil wrote, “The first CDSE for all specified dams must be completed no later than 2026 in strict adherence to the timelines prescribed under the Dam Safety Act, 2021 … it was brought to my notice that progress on CDSE in the State of Telangana remains negligible.”
He went on to add, “At present, the State of Telangana owns and operates a total of 173 specified dams, as detailed in Annexure I. With approximately 15 months remaining until the statutory deadline, it is imperative that the state expedites efforts to finalise and operationalise the CDSE for each of its specified dams.”
During a review meeting with the irrigation department, the Chief Minister asked officials to come up with constructive plans for the repairs of barrages and ensure that contractors are held responsible for the maintenance and safety lapses. The repair of the three barrages of the multi-crore Kaleshwaram Dam had been a thorny issue with the Opposition BRS alleging that the Congress government was deliberately sabotaging the project. Both Annaram and Medigadda barrages of the Kaleshwaram project had developed cracks and were deemed unsafe by the National Dam Safety Authority.