The Tungabhadra dam gate in Karnataka got washed away and opened the debates to a political blame game in the state. Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Authority cautioned people to maintain caution. The mishap took place in Hospet on Saturday night when gate no.19 of the dam washed away due to the intense deluge.
Amid this, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar shared that two firms had been approached to repair the gate, which has now been completed.
The temporary installation of five stoplogs at the 19th crest gate of the Tungabhadra Dam is finally complete. The team led by the expert Kannaiah Naidu brought relief to the entire state of Karnataka. The team worked tirelessly for three consecutive days to install the gate. Even farmers who depend on the Tungabhadra River have also expressed their gratitude.
Kannaiah Naidu shared at a press conference on Saturday morning that had they attempted to install the crest gate after stopping the water flow, its capacity would have dropped. Since they installed the stop logs during the flood situation, 30,000 million cubic feet were saved. If the inflow continues, the dam will quickly reach a capacity of 90 TMC feet.
The role of a stop gate is to effectively manage the flow of water till a crest gate, which is a permanent solution, is established. After installation, Kannaiah Naidu suggested that it is essential to conduct capacity tests on other crest gates. Generally, crest gates last up to 45 years. As per Naidu, there is no cause for worry for the next 30 to 35 years.
As per reports, except for the 19th crest gate, all have been closed and the dam is being tested for its structural capacity by releasing water just through this one gate. It has led to a reduced flow of water, but a gradual increase in the water levels in the reservoir. As of now, 71.1 TMC feet of water is stored, while the reservoir can store up to 105.7 TMC feet.
After completing the instalment of the stop logs, the people of Karnataka have hailed Kannaiah Naidu as the ‘Bhagiratha Kalyana Karnataka’. Karnataka’s Chief Minister also extended his “heartfelt gratitude” on behalf of the farmers of the state and also thanked the dam construction and safety expert, retired engineer Kannaiah Naidu for offering his guidance on-site to all engineers, officials and staff. He also thanked all the engineers, officials, staff and workers who undertook the challenging task.
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