Officials to install stop log gate at Pulichintala Project

Guntur: Efforts are being made to install stop log gate in place of crest gate No16 which was washed away in the floodwater at Pulichintala Project on Thursday.

In order to set up emergency crest gate, floodwater level in the reservoir should recede. Taking this into consideration, the officials on Friday evening released 5 lakh cusecs of floodwater to the downstream. As soon as flood water will recede, the officials are ready to install the emergency gate. It will take another 24 hours to install the emergency crest gate.

Pulichintala Project superintendent engineer J Ramesh Babu said, "We are ready to install emergency gate in the place of crest gate No16 which was got broken and washed away in the floodwater. As soon as flood water will recede, the officials are ready to install the emergency gate."

"If we release 6-lakh cusecs of floodwater, island village in the downstream of Pulichintala Project will face flood threat. Similarly, floodwater likely to inundate agriculture fields at Krishna riverbed mandals. Taking this into consideration, we are releasing 5-lakh cusecs of flood water to the downstream," he further added.

"We will install 270 tonnes weight emergency gate in the place of crest gate No16. In order to set up permanent crest gate, the enquiry committee should visit the project and examine it. After that we will take approval from the government and install the permanent gate. It will take some time. Till the new crest gate is installed, emergency gate to be set up will work. We have taken all the steps to set up emergency gate at the earliest," he added. Meanwhile officials have lifted 17 crest gates of the project lifted releasing 5-lakh cusecs of the floodwater to the downstream.