International Experts Review Polavaram Project, Stress Construction Quality

The four-day visit of international experts to the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh concluded on October 17. During their visit from October 14 to 17, Richard Donnelly, Gianfranco Di Cicco, Sean Hinchberger and David Paul inspected construction work on Gaps 1 and 2 of the Earth-Cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) dam and reviewed quality-control testing procedures. The team spent around 40 hours assessing the project, including 13 hours on field inspections and 27 hours in review meetings. Officials said the experts expressed satisfaction with the construction work and testing procedures.

During the final-day meeting with representatives of the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), the state Water Resources Department and MEIL, the experts recommended speeding up construction while maintaining strict quality standards. They stressed that existing testing procedures should continue and that every test result and relevant construction detail must be properly documented and preserved. The experts indicated that they may visit Polavaram again in March next year. PPA CEO Sanjeev Vohra coordinated the visit and later felicitated the international experts and officials from central and state departments.