The 71-year-old Tungabhadra dam, a crucial structure spanning the Krishna River, has experienced a significant setback as its 19th crest gate was washed away on Sunday. This incident has heightened flood risks for residents along the Krishna River in both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority or APSDMA has issued a warning for residents in Kurnool district, specifically in Kosiri, Mantralayam, Nandavaram, and Kouthalam, urging them to remain vigilant. The problem arose when intense floodwaters caused the chain link on gate number 19 to break. Currently, nearly 89,000 cusecs of water is being released from the dam, a substantial increase from the previous 48,000 cusecs.
In response, the Karnataka Water Resources department has initiated urgent repairs by opening all the crest gates except for five. Karnataka’s Koppal district in-charge minister, Shivaraj Tangadagi, highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that up to 65 TMC of water may need to be released to address the issue. Repair work is expected to take about four days, as confirmed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has travelled to Koppal to oversee the situation.
The dam released 1 lakh cusecs of water through 22 gates, on Saturday. The intense floodwaters overwhelmed the dam, breaking the chain link on the 19th gate. Despite the damage, Tungabhadra board secretary ORK Reddy has assured the public that the dam is designed to handle releases of up to 6.5 lakh cusecs of water, and there is no immediate cause for alarm.
Authorities have advised people living along the Krishna River and its tributaries to avoid crossing canals and streams due to the strong currents created by the ongoing floodwaters.
