Bhubaneswar: The much-awaited Lower Suktel irrigation project in Bolangir district is likely to be inaugurated in September 2023.
According to official sources, 91 percent of dam work has been completed and the balance work of the dam is to be completed very shortly.
Civil work of Spillway has been completed while erection of spillway gates is to be completed in next few days. The Water Resource Department officials are working day and night to complete the project on time. Development Commissioner Anu Garg is also regularly reviewing the progress made on the project.
Similarly, 91 percent of dam earth work has been completed. The level of the dam at the river gap portion has reached above crest level of spillway. Balance work in the dam is almost complete, the sources said.
Impounding of water in the reservoir will be started in presence of Chief Engineer, Dam Safety and Chief Quality Assurance. They will study the health of dam and hydraulic parameters at every stage of increment of reservoir level. This work is also likely to be completed by this month’s end.
Execution of both the pump house for the right and left system are going on. The underground pipe laying for RMC is going on. The procurement of material is under process.
The total irrigation potential of the major irrigation project is 40,000 hectares and irrigation will be provided in phase-wise from January 2024.
In the first phase, irrigation will be provided to 6000 hectares by January 2024 rest to be provided in a phased manner.
The survey for the project was conducted in 1979 but it got environmental clearance in 1998. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone in 2001 for the project when its estimated cost was Rs 217 crore. However, the project cost has now escalated to over Rs 2,500 crore.
Similarly, the Kanupur Dam project in Keonjhar is likely to be completed by March 2024. As many as 5413 out of 5417 people have been evacuated while a balance of four persons of 2 families will be evacuated from Orissa High Court.
Stage-I forest clearance was obtained in March 2023 while Stage-II forest clearance was under process, the officials informed.
Right and Left side bridge along with the river gap close will be completed very soon. Balance work of Spillway to be taken up during October 2023 after completion of plastic concrete cut-off wall by September 2023. Through this project, irrigation potential for 29,578 hectares will be created by March 2024.
