Hosapete: On the night of August 10, a spillway gate was washed out of the groove of the Tungabhadra Dam.
Tungabhadra Project is an important multipurpose river project in South India. The dam in Karnataka serves the people of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It plays an important role in irrigation of farmland, supports hydroelectric power generation, helps in flood control and supports drinking water supply.
On August 10, ten spill gates, number 12 to 21, were opened to a height of 1.5 feet, releasing 22,890 cubic feet of water. At 10.50 pm, spill gate number 19 was washed out of the groove of the spillway. After the gate was displaced, the Tungabhadra Dam administration immediately informed the higher authorities, including disaster management officials in Ballari, Vijayanagar, Raichur, Koppal and Kurnool districts.
“Actions are being taken to fabricate a new dam beam gate in consultation with gate construction expert Kannaih Naidu, who has also submitted the design and drawings of the dam gate elements. In the meantime, discussions were held with the manufacturers in the presence of the dam authority, managing director of KNNL and secretary of TB board,” said a press release issued by the secretary of Tungabhadra board.
In the afternoon, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Irrigation and Water Resources, rushed to the dam to inspect and assess the situation.
Accompanied by NS Boseraju, Minister for Small Irrigation, Shivraj Tangadagi, Minister for Lower Classes Welfare, Kannada and Culture, E. Tukaram, MP, HR Gaviyappa, MLA for Vijayanagar, Raghavendra Hitnal, MLA for Koppal, and other public representatives, Shivakumar received a detailed briefing from the officials at the spot.
Addressing the media, Shivakumar explained that the Central Water Commission (CWC) manages 16 gates of the dam, but the Karnataka government is responsible for maintaining the remaining gates. He said that he has been in constant touch with officials since the night of August 10 to monitor the situation. Discussions are on to ensure water supply to the three states dependent on the dam while ensuring repairs to 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.
He described the incident as “extremely unfortunate” and announced that experts would be called in to repair the damaged spillway gate No. 19 at the Tungabhadra Dam.
He assured that the Tungabhadra Irrigation Corporation has qualified engineers and that teams of contractors have already started work. “The engineers have received the blueprint of the dam,” he added.
Shivakumar explained that 10 gates of the dam were opened on Saturday evening and when the chain link of Gate No. 19 suddenly broke, all the gates were opened to relieve the pressure on the dam. Currently, 98,000 cubic feet of water is being released from the reservoir, with 35,000 cubic feet being released through Gate No. 19 alone. He assured the farmers that there was no need to panic.
“To install the new gate, we need to reduce the pressure by releasing 60 TMC of water from the reservoir. The dam can hold 150 TMC of water. Currently, we are receiving an inflow of 28,000 cubic feet per second. We will retain enough water to ensure at least one crop for our farmers,” he explained.
Shivakumar further explained that 115 TMC of water is required to supply the main canals from the dam.
“We are working to ensure that our farmers are supported,” he said.
He added that 25 TMC of water has already been provided to neighbouring states and another 90 TMC is required. The three states – Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka – are working together to resolve this issue. Farmers should not worry, we are there for them,” he said.
Shivakumar stressed the importance of the dam for farmers in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, pointing out that Karnataka alone benefits from irrigation of 1.2 million hectares in districts like Koppal, Raichur and Ballari. “Our farmers need not worry, the government is behind them,” he assured.
“This dam is 60 to 70 years old and I do not blame any official for the incident. Our priority is to protect the country’s assets. We have restricted access to a two-kilometer radius around the dam and allowed access only to technicians and concerned officials while even members of the public are not allowed inside,” he explained.
Shivakumar also announced that the Baagina sacrifice scheduled for August 13 has been postponed due to the incident. “The safety of the dam is our top priority right now,” he said.
When asked how long the repairs would take, he replied: “Our officers are working around the clock with the utmost vigilance. They have acted swiftly from the moment the incident occurred. This mishap is not due to anyone’s negligence; it was an accident.”
Regarding the inspection of other reservoirs, Shivakumar said, “Other reservoirs have both rope and chain systems. Tungabhadra dam has been constructed with a chain system. We will first take care of the problems here and then move on to inspecting other sites,” he added.
Prime Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to visit the reservoir for an inspection on Tuesday.
On Sunday, he spoke to Gaurav Gupta, the principal secretary of the department, and got all the details explained to him and instructed that precautionary measures should be taken to prevent any damage.
The Chief Minister also discussed the situation with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the Minister for Water Resources, Vijayanagar District Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Koppal District Minister Shivraj Tangadagi.
Downstream of Tungabhadra Dam, there are two dams – Rajollibanda Diversion Scheme and Sunkesula Dams. Their flood capacities are 7.65 lakhs cubic feet and 2.08 lakhs cubic feet respectively. The current spillway discharge of TB Dam is 85,156 cubic feet and the total river discharge is 89,784 cubic feet. This discharge has no impact on the dams/schemes downstream.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders have expressed their concern over the incident.
“While people suffering from the ongoing drought were just beginning to rejoice over the filled dam, the sudden malfunction of the dam raised concerns about possible loss of stored water, which could severely affect future agricultural activities,” BJP state president BY Vijayendra wrote on X.
“The negligence of the officials responsible for the maintenance of such a massive dam is evident. I request the government and the district administration to immediately relocate the residents of the flood-prone villages and take speedy steps to repair the dam crest gate,” he added.
Basavaraj Bommai, MP and former chief minister of Haveri, 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 in the pre-independence era and had faced several problems over time. One of the major problems was accumulation of silt. During the BJP tenure, a DPR was ready to build a parallel dam to solve these problems. The dam management committee set up by the central government made several recommendations. The state government should have implemented these recommendations on priority. It seems that the government did not take these recommendations seriously. Had it considered them carefully, this situation could have been avoided,” he said.
“This incident is due to improper management. When an investigation is conducted, the truth will come out,” he noted.
According to the officials, extensive maintenance work was carried out on the gates in May 2024, including application of cardium compound, greasing of chain bearings and plumbing blocks and filling of oil in the Radicon gear units. The gates were thoroughly tested and confirmed to be in good condition by officials of the Tungabhadra Board, including the Secretary, Executive Engineer, Chief Engineer and Sub-Divisional Officer.
