Operation to Retrieve Large Boats from Prakasam Barrage Underway

The Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department is in the process of retrieving three large boats that drifted and struck the Prakasam Barrage due to recent floods. Weighing 50 tonnes each, the boats damaged a counterweight. The complex three-pronged strategy involves cranes and underwater cutting methods.

The Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department is in the midst of a challenging operation to retrieve three large boats that drifted and collided with the Prakasam Barrage during recent floods, an official reported on Thursday.

Each boat, weighing approximately 50 tonnes, struck the barrage on September 1, causing damage to a counterweight.

Krishna Rao, executive engineer of Prakasam Barrage, detailed a three-pronged strategy to clear the boats, involving cranes and underwater cutting methods. Despite several attempts over recent days, success remains elusive, with divers now aiding in cutting the boats underwater.

Initial attempts to use cranes to lift the boats from one side of the barrage failed, prompting a similar effort from the opposite river side to establish a three-pronged strategy.

Rao admitted that it is unclear how long the operation will take, describing the situation as indefinite crisis management. Of the five boats that drifted towards the barrage, one submerged, another was washed away, and three remain visible.

(With inputs from agencies.)