Urgent repairs underway on Tungabhadra Dam spillway gate

Hosapete: A spillway gate was washed away by the waters of the Tungabhadra dam on the night of August 10.

The Tungabhadra Project is a major multi-purpose river project in southern India. The dam, located in Karnataka, serves the populations of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It plays an important role in irrigating agricultural land, supporting hydroelectric power generation, helping control floods and supporting drinking water supply.

On August 10, ten spillway gates, numbered 12 to 21, were operated to a height of 1.5 feet, releasing 22,890 cusecs of water. At 10:50 pm, spillway gate No. 19 was washed away. After the gate was shifted, the Tungabhadra Dam Board immediately informed higher authorities, including disaster management officials in Ballari, Vijayanagar, Raichur, Koppal and Kurnool districts.

“Steps are underway to manufacture a new gate valve in consultation with Gate Works Expert Kannaih Naidu, who has also submitted the design and drawings of the gate valve components, meanwhile, discussions were held with the manufacturers in the presence of the Dam Authority, Managing Director of KNNL and Secretary, TB Board,” a press release from the Secretary, Tungabhadra Board said.

In the afternoon, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the irrigation and water resources portfolio, rushed to inspect the dam and assess the situation.

Accompanied by Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju, Backward Classes Welfare, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivraj Tangadagi, MP E. Tukaram, Vijayanagar MP HR Gaviyappa, Koppal MP Raghavendra Hitnal and other public representatives, Shivakumar was given a detailed briefing by officials on the spot.

Speaking to the media, Shivakumar said that while the Central Water Commission (CWC) manages 16 gates of the dam, the Karnataka government is responsible for maintaining the remaining gates. He said he has been in constant touch with the officials since the night of August 10 to monitor the situation. Discussions are on to conserve water for the three states dependent on the dam while ensuring that repairs are carried out on the damaged gate.

For safety reasons, all the gates of the dam have been opened to allow water to flow into the river. “We care about the farmers and respect their suggestions. Ultimately, action will be taken based on the expert report,” Shivakumar added.

Calling the incident “extremely unfortunate”, he said experts were being mobilised to repair the damaged spill gate No. 19 of the Tungabhadra dam.

He assured that the Tungabhadra Irrigation Corporation has qualified engineers and teams of contracting companies have already started work. “The design plan of the dam has been provided to the technicians,” he added.

Shivakumar said that on Saturday night, 10 gates of the dam were opened and when the link of gate number 19 suddenly broke, all the gates were opened to reduce the pressure on the dam. Currently, 98,000 cusecs of water are being released from the reservoir, of which 35,000 cusecs are flowing through gate number 19 alone. He reassured the farmers that there was no need to panic.

“To install the new gate, we have to reduce the pressure by releasing 60 TMC of water from the reservoir. The dam can hold 150 TMC of water. We are currently receiving an inflow of 28,000 cusecs. We will conserve enough water to ensure at least one crop for our farmers,” he said.

Shivakumar further explained that 115 TMC of water is required to supply the main channels of the dam.

“We are working to ensure that our farmers are supported,” he said.

He added that neighbouring states have already received 25 TMC of water and there is still a shortfall of 90 TMC. All the three states, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, are working together to resolve this issue. Farmers need not worry, we are there for them,” he said.

Shivakumar highlighted the importance of the dam for farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, noting that Karnataka alone benefits from irrigation of 12 lakh hectares in districts like Koppal, Raichur and Ballari. “Our farmers need not worry, the government is by their side,” he assured.

“This dam is between 60 and 70 years old and I do not blame any responsible person for this incident. Our priority is to protect the nation’s assets. We have restricted access to a two-kilometre radius around the dam, allowing only technicians and relevant officials, while excluding even public representatives,” he said.

Shivakumar also announced that the offering of ‘Baagina’, scheduled for August 13, has been postponed due to the incident. “The safety of the dam is our top priority at the moment,” he said.

Asked about the time taken for the repairs, he said: “Our officials are working vigilantly at all times. They acted quickly from the moment the incident occurred. This accident was not due to anyone’s negligence; it happened by accident.”

On inspection of other reservoirs, Shivakumar said, “Other reservoirs have both cable and chain systems. Tungabhadra dam was designed with chain system. We will first sort out the issues here and then proceed to inspect other sites,” he added.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to visit the reservoir on Tuesday for an inspection.

On Sunday, he spoke to the department’s principal secretary Gaurav Gupta and got all the details. He asked that precautionary measures be taken to avoid any damage.

The chief minister also discussed the situation with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the water resources minister, Vijayanagar district minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Koppal district minister Shivraj Tangadagi.

Downstream of Tungabhadra Dam, there are two dams, Rajollibanda Diversion Dam and Sunkesula Dam, whose flood capacities are 7.65 lakhs cusecs and 2.08 lakhs cusecs respectively. The present discharge from the spillway of TB Dam is 85,156 cusecs and the total discharge of the river is 89,784 cusecs and this discharge will not affect the downstream dams/developments.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders have expressed concern over the incident.

“While people, suffering from prolonged drought, were just beginning to rejoice over the filling of the dam, the sudden malfunction of the crest gate has raised concerns over the potential loss of stored water, which could have serious repercussions on future agricultural activities,” BJP state president BY Vijayendra said on X.

“The negligence of the officials responsible for maintaining such a massive dam is evident. I urge the government and the district administration to immediately relocate the people of flood-prone villages and take prompt measures to repair the crest gate of the dam,” he added.

Haveri MLA and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said the incident could have been avoided if the state government had taken the recommendations of the dam management committee seriously.

He told reporters that the Tungabhadra Dam was built before Independence and had faced several problems over time. One of the major problems was silt accumulation. During the BJP tenure, a DPR was ready to build a parallel dam to solve these problems. The Dam Management Committee, formed by the central government, had made several recommendations. The state government should have implemented these recommendations on priority. It seems that the government has not taken these recommendations seriously. If it had considered them carefully, this situation could have been avoided,” he said.

“This problem is due to mismanagement. If an investigation is conducted, the truth will come out,” he stressed.

According to officials, in May 2024, comprehensive maintenance work was carried out on the gates, including application of Cardium compound, greasing of chain bearings and plumbing blocks and filling of oil in Radicon gearboxes. The gates were thoroughly tested and confirmed to be in good working condition by officials of Tungabhadra Board, including the Secretary, Chief Engineer, Executive Engineer and Deputy Divisional Manager.