The first phase of the robotic inspection of the cracks in the Hirakud Dam, particularly of sluice gates, on the Burla and Hirakud sides, has been completed.
Three experts from the Water Resources Department of the Union Government, Alekh Vergeese, Birendra Pratap and Siva Charan, have returned to New Delhi after the first phase inspection.
“The team will submit its report to the Union and Odisha Governments and the Hirakud Dam authorities soon,” informed Hirakud Dam Superintending Engineer Rabindra Kumar Panda.
He said the team took photographs of all the 64 sluice gates through a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) with a sophisticated camera fitted to it. The photographs would be thoroughly scanned and examined in the Central Soil and Material Research Station (CSMRS), New Delhi.
Then detail pictures of the cracks, if any, would be known, he said.
The next phase inspection would be for the power dam (power house side in Burla end). Hence, the team is expected to visit the dam for the second time very shortly, Panda informed.
It may be noted that the dam authorities had first detected some cracks in 1990. Three kinds of cracks named hairline, fibre and wide cracks, were detected had been repaired in 1999.