Tungabhadra Reservoir: Temporary Gate to Arrive in Four Parts Today

Anantapur: Irrigation experts and designers would, in a unique process, fix a temporary gate in place of the damaged 19th gate of Tungabhadra reservoir, in an urgent step to avoid wastage of water. They would do so in the running water.

Orders had been placed with four firms to manufacture the temporary gate in four parts, all of which would reach here on Wednesday and be joined into one upon placement on Friday. The gate weighs 40 tonnes.

The TB dam authorities ordered the manufacture of four parts of similar design from different steel units in the Hospet area. JSW Steels offered assistance with high capacity cranes to fix the parts in the running water.

Irrigation expert Kannaiah Naidu, who designed the Polavaram gates, would be present to guide the team of engineers at the site. He recently underwent cataract eye surgery and was taking rest. When the snag developed to the 19th gate, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu called up and urged him to rush to TB dam and take stock of the situation.

Normally, such a snag to the dam gates can get rectified by fixing a new gate only after release of water up to the gate level. But, the TB dam being a major source of water for the drought-hit Rayalaseema and Bellary areas, the state does not want to lose some 60tmc-ft of water from the reservoir. Such a release of water would be of no use and end up in the sea, it is noted.

Hence, the experts led by Kannaiah Naidu decided to have an experiment by way of fixing the gate of 40 tonnes by making it in four pieces to reduce weight problem during the installation. Minister Payyavula Kesav hoped for divine blessings for the success of the experiment, which is attempted at probably for the first time ever.

“We are keen on avoiding wastage of water. We could have fixed the gate very easily after discharging a huge quantity of water, but such a waste of water would affect the farms of AP and Karnataka," he explained.

Irrigation minister Rama Naidu said the chief minister has promised release of sufficient funds to the TB Board to set things right.

The gate parts are likely to reach the dam site by Wednesday morning. Visitors will not be allowed at the site. Payyavula Kesav urged the people to cooperate with the experts and avoid any disturbance there.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, who visited the TB dam site, told the media that there would be no problem for the present kharif season. “All the dependent canals under the dam have been provided with sufficient release of water."

Even after discharging water into the river, we hope to fill the dam with rains expected till next month," he said.

The dam, he said, was not the responsibility of the Karnataka government. “The TB dam is under the control of CWC. There is no credence to the allegations made by the Karnataka opposition, the BJP, against the state government that we are being irresponsible,” he added.

The TB dam authorities said round the clock efforts were on to avoid wastage of water. Anantapur collector Vinod Kumar, Rayadurg MLA Kalava Sreenivasulu and several ministers and MLA's were present.