Telangana is considering an end-to-end diaphragm wall for the rehabilitation of the damaged Medigadda barrage, along with strengthening and extending its downstream stilling basins, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Sunday.
The proposal follows preliminary examinations of extensive technical tests conducted at the three barrages of the Kaleshwaram project, including Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla. The Medigadda barrage suffered damage to some of its piers in October 2023.
A diaphragm wall, or D-wall, running from one end of the barrage to the other is among the interventions being examined. The final rehabilitation designs have not yet been submitted, and the state government is awaiting technical assessments of the test results.
The stilling basins downstream of the barrage may also be strengthened and extended. These structures are intended to reduce the velocity of floodwaters and improve the dissipation of energy as water passes through the barrage system.
The state has engaged IIT Bombay and engineering consultancy AFRY India to study the technical test reports and prepare repair and rehabilitation designs. The agencies’ assessments will inform the final decision on the scope of work at Medigadda and the other barrages.
The proposed rehabilitation is being considered after structural failures affected the barrages constructed as part of the Kaleshwaram project. The minister said the government was examining the technical condition of the structures before finalising the repair plan.
Reddy also said Telangana had utilised 340 tmc ft of Godavari water during 2025–26, describing it as the highest utilisation recorded since the formation of the state. He attributed the achievement to the state’s water-use efforts despite the adverse impact of El Nino.
The minister also criticised the previous BRS government’s decision to shift the original Pranahita Chevella project from Tummidihatti to Medigadda. He said the project, if completed at Tummidihatti as originally envisaged, could have enabled the impounding of Pranahita waters and the utilisation of nearly 165 tmc ft for northern Telangana.
The next formal milestone is the submission of the repair and rehabilitation designs by IIT Bombay and AFRY India after their review of the technical test reports.
