Karnataka Faces Flood Risk After Tungabhadra Dam Gate is Washed Away

Karnataka Faces Flood Risk After Tungabhadra Dam Gate is Washed Away

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Before the gate at the Tungabhadra dam can be fixed, more than half of the water in the dam, which is currently full, needs to be drained.

One of the crest gates at the Tungabhadra dam in Karnataka’s Vijayanagar district broke late Saturday, raising concerns for areas downstream. While there is no threat to the dam’s overall safety, officials say that more than half of the water in the dam needs to be drained before repairs can start.

Currently, all 33 gates are open, releasing over 100,000 cubic feet of water per second. Of this, around 35,000 cubic feet per second is coming from the damaged 19th gate. The dam is nearly full, holding about 100 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water due to recent heavy rains.

Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi visited the dam and explained that about 60-65 TMC of water must be drained before any repairs can begin. He noted that the water level needs to drop by 20 feet to properly assess and fix the damaged gate.

Karnataka Faces Flood Risk After Tungabhadra Dam Gate is Washed Away
Tungabhadra Dam Crest Gate Washed Away; No Immediate Threat to Downstream Areas

The crest gate at the Tungabhadra dam was washed away after a chain link used to operate it broke. Alerts were sent to nearby villages in Ballari and Raichur districts to avoid any accidents. This is the first time such an incident has happened at the dam, which was built in 1953.

Currently, there’s no immediate danger to the downstream villages because the dam can safely handle the flow of up to 235,000 cubic feet of water per second. The dam authorities plan to gradually increase the water flow so they can start repairs as soon as possible. Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar is expected to visit the dam later to check the situation.

Karnataka Faces Flood Risk After Tungabhadra Dam Gate is Washed Away

A statement from the dam’s secretary said that all maintenance work was completed in May 2024, and the gates were checked. On August 10, 2024, ten of the spillway gates were opened slightly, and the discharge was 22,890 cubic feet per second. At 10:50 PM, gate No. 19 was washed away from its slot. Repairs are expected to be finished within a week. The Tungabhadra dam, one of four in the state with a capacity over 100 TMC, has been affected by silt buildup over the years, and there are proposals to build a balancing reservoir to help.

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