Guntur: Emergency gate erected at Pulichintala Project

Guntur: Technical experts set up an emergency gate at Pulichintala Project in place of crest gate No16 which was broken and washed away in the floodwater on August 5. Technical team came from Polavaram Project and the project engineering officials supervised the setting up of the emergency gate works. The officials set up 11 pieces and installed the crest gate at Pulichintala project.

The emergency gate has 18.5 meters height and 17 meters length and 240 tonnes weight. It could control the floodwater flow downstream.The emergency gate erection work which was started two days ago completed in the wee hours of Sunday. They conducted the trial run and stopped the floodwater. They have closed all the 24crest gates of the project and filling the reservoir with water. The emergency gate will continue till the permanent gate will be set up.

The engineering officials of the project had kept two spare emergency gates as a precautionary measure. They installed one of the emergency gates in the place of crest gate No16. According to official sources, an inquiry committee constituted by the government will visit the Pulichintala Project and study the reasons for damage and washing away of the crest gate No16. They will study the condition of the other gates.

They will submit their report to the government within a fortnight. Later, Pulichintala Project engineering officials will take permission from the government and install the permanent crest gate. It will take some more time. The engineering officials of the project said that the emergency gate could stop the floodwater.

The engineering officials are expecting that it will take at least one week to fill Pulichintala Project reservoir with water. The reservoir is getting 48,293 cusecs of flood water from the upstream of the reservoir. The capacity of the reservoir is 45.77 tmc feet level storage and 8tmc feet level water is available in the reservoir.