Hyderabad: After the sidewalls of the Sunkisala project at the Nagarjuna Sagar collapsed at around 7 am on August 2, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) announced the formation of a committee to probe the incident. It also added that the project that was supposed to be constructed by March 2025, could be delayed by a couple of months.
In a statement to the media on Thursday, HMWSSB announced that an inquiry committee with expert engineers would be constituted comprising the executive director of the board, revenue director and project director. An action would be initiated after the inquiry report.
Making it clear that the reconstruction works for the damaged components of the project will be taken up by Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), the contracting firm, and that the entire cost will be borne by that company.
The HMWSSB stated that there would be no interruption to the drinking water supply for Hyderabad due to the delay in the project’s delivery.
Preliminary information from HMWSSB indicates that the heavy inflows of 3.5 lakh cusecs of water into the Nagarjunasagar Project caused a ‘back close wave action.’ This surge of water entered the tunnel connecting the projects, leading to the destruction of the gates and the collapse of the adjacent sidewalls. The tunnel gates had been installed on August 29, 30, and 31.
HMWSSB has mentioned that 60 percent of the works for the intake well, 70 percent of the pumping main works, and 40 percent of the electro-mechanical works have been completed till now. It has been estimated preliminarily that it could cost Rs 20 crore to reconstruct the sidewalls of the project.
Deputy CM blames BRS government for sidewalls collapse
Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka took a swipe at the previous BRS government, blaming it for the collapse of the sidewalls of the Sunkisala project, which was constructed during the BRS regime between July 11, 2021 and July 2023.
“We thought that poor quality works were undertaken only in Medigadda and Sundilla under the Kaleshwaram project, but it turns out they have not even spared the projects in Krishna River,” he said.
He strongly criticized a section of the media owned by BRS for accusing the Congress government of causing the collapse of the sidewalls at the Sunkisala project. He stated that officials are currently conducting an inquiry into the incident, and those responsible will soon be exposed.
