Foreign experts’ team to inspect Polavaram project from today
For ensuring quality, safety, and timely completion
Polavaram: A team of foreign experts will inspect the Polavaram Project construction works from Monday as part of the sixth round of international technical review of the prestigious irrigation project. During their visit, the experts will closely examine the progress of construction and offer technical suggestions and advisory inputs to ensure quality, safety, and timely completion. The visiting experts will hold detailed reviews with officials of the Central and State Water Resources Departments, the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), and representatives of the construction agency. The team will also interact with engineers from various technical institutions involved in the project’s monitoring and execution.
On January 22, the experts will meet the Chief Engineer of the Polavaram Project at Rajamahendravaram to discuss general and project-related technical issues.
On January 23, they will proceed to New Delhi for discussions with the Chief Executive Officer and senior officials of the Polavaram Project Authority. Prior to this, they are also scheduled to meet officials of the Union Ministry of Water Resources. The experts will return to their respective countries on January 24.
The foreign experts—Sean Hinchberger (Canada), David B. Paul (USA), and Gian Franco Di Cicco (USA)—arrived at Rajamahendravaram on Sunday night.
From Monday onwards, they will begin field inspections at the Polavaram Project site, marking their sixth visit to review the construction works.
They will be accompanied by officials from the Central Water Commission, including Sarabjit Singh Bakshi, Manish Rathore, Gaurav Tiwari, and Hemant Gautam. Officials from the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS)—Manish Gupta and Ravi Agrawal—and Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) representative VS Ramarao will also be part of the inspection team.
Senior officials of the Polavaram Project Authority, including Member-Secretary M Raghuram and Director K Shankar, will participate in the reviews. From the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department, Special Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad, Advisor M Venkateswara Rao, NIRM Director Ajay Kumar Naitani, and the CDO Chief Engineer will be present. Representatives of the construction agency, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), will also take part in the discussions.
As per the schedule, on Monday the team will inspect Gap-1, D-Hill, Gap-2, G-Hill, upstream and downstream portions of the main dam, the diaphragm wall (D-Wall), dewatering channel, rock fill, and clay stock areas. On Tuesday, the experts will review the sand reach at Gap-2 of the main dam, availability of construction materials, and other related aspects, followed by detailed technical discussions. On Wednesday, they will inspect the construction plan of the ECRF dam, spill channel treatment works, approach channel, and other associated components of the project.
This sixth inspection by foreign experts underscores the continued emphasis on rigorous technical oversight of the Polavaram Project, one of India’s most important multipurpose irrigation and infrastructure initiatives.
