District to implement sheet pile wall tech to store riverbed water

Kadapa: To store riverbed water in dry spell conditions where the land is filled with granite and limestone, the Irrigation department has proposed to construct subsurface dams at riverbed using sheet pile wall technology. The Central government has welcomed the initiative of District Collector Ch Harikiran and presented him award on February 25, 2019 in New Delhi.

Irrigation officials will be constructing subsurface dams in mandals like Chakrayapet, Pendlimarri and Veerapunayunipalle under the purview of Papagni river in the district. A four-member central team have inspected groundwater levels for implementing the sheet pile wall technology. According to the Collector, the Union government sanctioned Rs 23.56 crore for construction of a subsurface dam in Papagni river under experimental basis and it is yielding good results.

The Collector stated that the geographical area of Kadapa is entirely different comparatively with other districts in the State as it will be highly difficult to protect the water in the riverbed because of vast formation of limestone and granite under the earth. "This technology not only useful to protect the groundwater in the riverbed but also to increase crop area even in severe dry spell conditions," he added.