Chain of the 19th gate of Tungabhadra Dam broke, all 33 gates opened in view of the danger
Tungabhadra Dam Gate: Tungabhadra Dam serves as an important water source and flood control in Karnataka. It has a total of 33 gates, but the 19th gate of these broke. However, officials present on the spot said that the repair of the damage to the 19th gate can start only after releasing about 60 thousand million cubic feet of water from the dam.
These days, there is a heavy amount of rainfall in Karnataka due to which more than the required quantity of water accumulated in the Tungabhadra Dam. The dam was filled with so much water late on Sunday night that a chain of the gate of the Tungabhadra Dam broke and suddenly 35,000 cusecs of water started flowing in the river. Such an incident has taken place for the first time in the 70 years of history of this dam.
Tungabhadra Dam is an important source of water supply and flood control. There are 33 gates in total, but the 19th gate from these burst. However, the officials on the spot said that repair work over damage to the 19th gate could begin only after release—about 60 thousand million cubic feet of water from the dam.
Looking at the current situation of the Tungabhadra dam, the local authorities took immediate action. Koppal's district in-charge minister Shivraj Tangadagi reached the dam on Sunday morning and assessed the situation. In view of the dangers associated with the release of large amounts of water from the dam, water started being released from all 33 gates of the dam on Sunday morning.
At present, about one lakh cusecs of water have been released from the dam. This time the emphasis of the officials is that the water pressure on the damaged gate can be reduced in any way. The construction of the dam started in the year 1949 and was completed in 1953.
