Andhra Pradesh on alert after 19th gate of Tungabadhra reservoir washed away in Karnataka’s Hospet

Floodwaters sweep away 19th gate of Tungabhadra reservoir in Karnataka, releasing lakhs of cusecs, prompting safety warnings.

“The 19th gate of the Tungabhadra reservoir in Hospet of Karnataka State was swept away by floodwaters on Saturday midnight (August 10, 2024),” officials observed, in the early hours of Sunday (August 11, 2024).

This resulted in the release of a significant volume of water to the tune of lakhs of cusecs from that gate. The incident occurred as the chain link of the 19th gate broke and was washed away while the gates were being closed the previous night due to the receding flood level in the reservoir.

It transpired during the maintenance of the dam water storage as the upper flood subsided. The current water level in the project stands above 100 TMC.

Engineers have indicated that the restoration work for the gate can only commence after the discharge of 60 TMC of water. Currently, 33 gates are being opened, releasing almost one lakh cusecs of water into the lower river.

This occurrence represents the first major incident related to dam safety in the last 70 years. A flood of one lakh cusecs is presently flowing from the Tungabhadra to the downstream Sunkesula project.

The Tungabadhra River Board officials have issued a warning to the people in the river basin to exercise caution. Engineers of the Tungabhadra Reservoir have advised the residents of Kurnool city, Kauthalam, Kosigi, Mantralayam, and Nandavaram mandals under Kurnool district, to be vigilant and not to cross the riverbed and canals adjoining it.

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management (APSDM) has announced that people in need of emergency assistance should contact toll-free numbers 1070, 112, and 18004250101. The APSDM officials also alerted the Police and Revenue authorities of the district to alert the villagers in the Krishna River catchment area.