With clearance from the Union defence ministry, the state irrigation department officials will start survey of a stretch of the altered Pranahita-Chevella project from August 18.
The state government had earlier decided to shelve the Pranahita-Chevella project and instead split the project into two parts. One barrage will be constructed at Tummidihatti in Adilabad and the other barrage at Medigadda near Kaleswaram and a canal would be dug from Medigadda to Yellampalli.
The government has decided to use Lidar technology for the survey of Medigadda barrage and the proposed canal.
For using Lidar technology, the government needed the permission of defence ministry as remote sensing and other aspects were involved. ‘’We got the permission for Lidar survey from the Union government,” sources at the irrigation department told Express.
The state government will depute three engineers for the survey and the bonafides of all the staff involved would be submitted the defence ministry . They would also conduct scrutiny of equipment, sources said.
Lidar survey will start on August 18 and will take 15 days to complete. ‘’We will require another 15 days to analyse the data and proceed with the construction of the barrage at Medigadda to draw Godavari waters,” sources said.
Lidar survey helps the officials to examine landscapes and route for the proposed canal.
The officials can also examine whether there will be any seepage of water into coal mines. If there is any possibility, the government may change the alignment of the canal accordingly.
What is Lidar Technology?
Lidar technology is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analysing the reflected light.
Lidar technology is popularly used to make high-resolution maps, with applications in geomatics, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology, seismology, forestry, remote sensing, atmospheric physics and other sectors.
Source: The New Indian Express