The 71-year-old Tungabhadra Dam in Hospet, Karnataka, is a dam in distress. Less than 24 hours after the BJP-JDS ‘padayatra’ demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ended, the opposition has found a fresh issue to target the ruling Congress party even as officials say the situation is not alarming.
The breaking of a 71-year-old chain of one of the 32 crest gates of the Tungabhadra Dam late on Saturday night led to thousands of cusecs of water being released, creating apprehension about the risk of flooding in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, two of the three states, including Telangana, that share water from this dam.
The waters of the Tungabhadra pass through Karnataka’s districts of Davangere, Ballari, Koppal, and Raichur before entering Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, eventually joining the Krishna River and emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
The washing away of the 19th crest gate of this dam, built across the Tungabhadra River, on Saturday night due to a broken chain link, has become a matter of concern for officials and put Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh on alert. However, Karnataka irrigation officials maintain that there is no need for alarm.
Prompt Action Taken, No Threat, Says Management
The Tungabhadra Dam is managed by the Tungabhadra Board on a 50:50 basis as part of the articles of association for maintenance and management.
Speaking to News18, Managing Director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam, Rajesh Aminbhavi, said that the gate was washed away due to a flash flood, and every effort has been made to ensure its restoration.
“Until the night of August 9, the inflow of water in the Tungabhadra Dam was 30,000 cusecs, and the outflow was 35,000 cusecs. The sudden flash of rain caused the gate to be washed away, but we have taken prompt action, and the gate will be fixed within the next eight to ten days. It is important to understand that at this point, there is no threat to life or property,” said Aminbhavi.
Another senior official working closely on the dam gate restoration said that the monsoons had been delayed, and although the region had received average rainfall, the flash rains on Saturday filled the dam to capacity, leading to the gates being opened to let the excess water out when the gate washed away. An internal inquiry is being conducted into the incident, while work has begun in parallel to rebuild the gate.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that he has assessed the situation and spoken with the Jindal Group, seeking assistance to repair the affected gate. He inspected the dam on Sunday and also stated that the authorities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had been informed.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of the dam and the welfare of our farmers. We are focusing on fixing the issue currently, and we will look into the causes of the incident later. We are trying to close the crest gate to save water for farmers, but it is not possible to work on this unless the water level in the dam comes down to a certain level,” Shivakumar said.
The Tungabhadra Dam, which has a storage capacity of 136 TMC of water, is currently able to store only about 105 TMC. Officials explained that this is due to nearly 31 TMC of silt accumulation because of the soil conditions in the area.
“The problem is that Karnataka is not getting enough water due to the silt accumulation. That is also something that is being addressed,” said the senior official.
Pressure From The Opposition in Karnataka
Pressure is also being exerted by the opposition BJP in Karnataka, urging the ruling Congress government not to put the lives of people in danger, as was seen in neighbouring states like Kerala when dam gates were opened.
Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra called it “negligence” by the officials tasked with the management of the dam. With more than 40 villages downstream, the areas around the reservoir face the threat of severe flooding. The BJP also emphasised the urgent need to relocate locals in the area to safer zones as the dam has proved to be unsafe after being functional for over 70 years.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy, emphasised the necessity of installing stop logs for the crest gates of all reservoirs built decades ago. Referring to the Tungabhadra Dam crest gate issue as a “disaster,” he recommended installing stop logs at all reservoirs, including the KRS Dam in Mandya district. Kumaraswamy criticised the Tungabhadra Dam’s Technical Committee and called for a thorough assessment of all reservoirs in the state. In 2021, the crest gates of the KRS Dam were replaced based on the recommendation of the committee set up to assess dams and their safety in the state.
BJP MP and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also held the position of Water Resources Minister in various BJP governments, highlighted that the recommendations made by a committee formed in 2023 to assess the safety of dams in Karnataka were not taken seriously by the ruling government.
“Based on the committee’s recommendations, funds should have been allocated, and work should have been undertaken to ensure their upkeep. This has happened due to negligence,” Bommai said.
Andhra Minister Visits Tungabhadra
So far, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah haven’t had a direct conversation on the issue.
Andhra Finance Minister P Keshav and Irrigation Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu visited Tungabhadra.
The state government has extended its support to Karnataka by deploying a technical team led by irrigation experts and engineers, which is constantly monitoring the situation.
As of now, the low-lying areas in Rayalseema belt, where an alert was sounded in case of floods, are also under control.
Sources within the Andhra government have pointed out that water wastage is their main concern as the downstream reservoirs on their sides – Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar – are full. Water wastage could affect Rayalseema region which is dry. They have urged Karnataka government to fix the gate as soon as possible.
‘Essential Maintenance Carried Out in May’
“The dam, which was commissioned in 1975, has outlived its life, and there is also a proposal to build another balancing reservoir nearby in Navilu. There is no mismanagement or man-made issue. In May 2024, essential maintenance and a thorough check of all crest gates were conducted by the dam authorities,” said an irrigation officer working closely with the project.
As of now, the inflow into the dam is around 25,571 cusecs, and the outflow is 99,567 cusecs, according to the Tungabhadra Board website. The dam’s design allows for the release of up to 6.5 lakh cusecs of water at a time.
The Central Water Commission, the governments of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and the central government are being regularly apprised of the situation.
“There is no need for rescue operations right now. Even if we release 2 lakh cusecs of water downstream, it will not affect life or property in the area,” said a senior irrigation official.