Site Inspection report of Chief Engineer (Designs) and Chief Engineer (M.I.

) to
Budlapali Mega Lift site in Kuchinda Block

Chief Engineer (Designs) and Chief Engineer (M.I.) along with Superintending
Engineer (Designs), Superintending Engineer (Monitoring) from MI Wing, Director
(Designs) and Deputy Director (Designs)from Design Directorate visited Budlapali site
on river Bheden on 25.10.2017 to inspect the location for feasibility of construction of a
check dam d/s of Budlapali Mega Lift system at the site. The report of the team is as
follows:

1. Construction and installation of Mega lift systems under Cluster-III along river
Bheden in Kuchinda Block are nearing completion. These 6 installations span
along a river length of 31 Km. from Janakdihi in the u/s to Budlapali in the d/s in
Bheden river. Bheden is a rain fed river, with intermittent rocky beds from
Jankadihi to Budlapali with a longitudinal slope of nearly 1:1500. The level
difference between river bed at Jankadihi and Budlapali is around 20 mtrs. The
minimum distance between two consecutive MLIP is 6.0 K.M. Taking into
account the gradient of the river, nature of terrain, flood discharge and afflux that
would be created by proposed check dams, it would be appropriate to construct 6
nos of check dams at the d/s of each MLIP intake points with minimum possible
height to avoid undue afflux and ensure water supply to intake wells of the 6
ongoing MLIPs.
2. Since Bheden river is rain fed, in rocky terrain with steep slope, peak inflow in the
river basing on local rainfall cannot be retained for limitation of retention capacity
of check dams. During the local shower the MLIP ayacut may not require
supplementation. In case of erratic monsoon or absence of local precipitation the
ayacut will be under moisture stress and will require supplementation from MLIP.
Under such condition in-stream flow will reduce drastically and one time reserve
created by the check dam structure will come to rescue for supplementing
irrigation in the command. Considering the average height of a check dam as 3.0
mts., cross section of the river at Budlapali site and length of water spread,
approximately 8,00,000 cum. of water can be stored near the check dam for
irrigation purpose by lift. Each unit of the MLIP has an average command of 1500
 Ha. The MLP has been designed for 3+1 pumps with maximum drawal capacity
of 1.5 cumecs. During this critical period pump operation has to be 24 hrs. with
one stand by arrangement daily staggered. On this basis average drawal per day
comes to 24X3600X1.5 = 1,29,600 cum. The water reserve created at each
check dam comes to 4500X120X1.5 = 8,10,000 cum. Is just sufficient for 6.25
days of supplementary irrigation. 6.25 days of supplementary irrigation in
absence of an established distribution network in command area may not be
enough to meet the need of 1500 Ha. Even the served area will also suffer from
water stress unless the local precipitation reoccurs within 10-15 days. The source
will also have no reserve to supplement. The scanty flow in the stream may cater
to the upper most installation but cannot feed further below. In such case a
barrage instead of check dam at MLIP sites can provide better service.
3. It is to mention here that in the year 2007 CWC has approved Upper Bheden
Reservoir Project at Thelkugudi village. It is learnt that the project work couldn’t
proceed due to public resistance relating to submergence & rehabilitation issues.
At this juncture the proposed reservoir project will be beneficial to supply water
during lean monsoon period to the proposed check dams/ barrages.
4. In absence of earlier proposed reservoir project with series of check dams, the
proposal for construction of barrages at the proposed MLIP sites will be a
feasible proposition for three reasons;
i. More pondage of water,
ii. gated structures for better flood management, and
iii. possibility of getting additional ayacut
Construction of barrages are not possible as MLIPs are nearing completion, due
to constraint of time.
5. Alternative proposal is to construct check dams d/s of each completed MLIP to
make them operational with limitation of operation as stated at para 2 above.
6. Chief Engineer (Designs) requested Chief Engineer (M.I.) to furnish the site data
as per their required format for design of the check dam at Budlapali site. It is
found that complete data set as per requirement of Chief Engineer (Designs) is
not available with the Executive Engineer, M.I. Division, Sambalpur. Chief
Engineer (M.I) instructed the EE to collect the field data from site, go for drilling
 as suggested, get soil reports from laboratories and send the same immediately
for furnishing to CE (Designs) for preparing the design and drawings of the
proposed structure at Budulapali by November 2017. At the same time CE (M.I.)
also instructed Executive Engineer, M.I. Division, Sambalpur to collect data for
the remaining sites for preparation of design and drawings of the remaining
structures latest by end of December 2017.
7. As per the guidelines issued by DoWR for construction of check dams, streams
of bed width more than 50 mts. comes beyond the purview of M.I. Organisation.
In view of this it may be decided as to whether these works will be entrusted
either to M.I. or Major since the bed width is more than 120 mts. However, as per
earlier instructions, M.I. Organisation is carrying out the preliminary works.