Medigadda Barrage Included in the List of India’s Most Dangerous Dams

The Medigadda (Lakshmi) Barrage, a key component of the Kaleshwaram project, has been listed among the most unsafe dams in the country. During the 2025 post-monsoon inspections, the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) classified the Medigadda Barrage under Category-1, indicating a critical safety risk. The Ministry of Jal Shakti stated that failure to undertake immediate repairs and preventive measures could pose a serious threat to the structural safety of the barrage. Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, provided these details in a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a question on dam safety.

According to the minister, Medigadda Barrage is one of the three dams nationwide identified under Category-1, along with the Lower Khajuri Dam in Uttar Pradesh and the Bokaro Barrage in Jharkhand. As mandated under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, inspections are compulsory before and after the monsoon every year. In 2025, pre-monsoon inspections were carried out on 6,524 dams and post-monsoon inspections on 6,553 dams across the country. Based on these assessments, dams were categorized according to the urgency of repairs required. The Union Government has urged the Telangana Government to immediately implement the corrective and preventive measures suggested by the NDSA for the Medigadda Barrage. The minister also noted that India currently has 1,681 dams that are over 50 years old.