21 Gates of TB Dam Opened, Historic Areas in Hampi Submerged
Inflows were recorded 92,000 cusecs on Saturday and 72,490 cusecs on Sunday.
Anantapur: Heavy inflows hit the Tungabhadra dam, following which the authorities opened 21 of its gates on Sunday evening and released 62,444 cusecs the downstream of the river.
Inflows were recorded 92,000 cusecs on Saturday and 72,490 cusecs on Sunday.
The dam’s superintendent engineer Narayana Naik told Deccan Chronicle that this was the first time in the dam’s history that the inflow was only 25,556 cusecs last year, and a ten-year average of 18,485 cusecs.
The outflow was 62444 cusecs from the 21 crest gates opened to a height of 2.5ft for each gate. In view of an advice by the experts committee, the TB dam authorities have been directed not to store above 78tmc-ft even though its capacity is 105tmc-ft following the bad condition of the crest gates that are aged 75 years.
The dam authorities were discharging water by maintaining the capacity at 78tmc-ft.
With heavy outflows into the river, the downstream parts of the Tungabhadra river passing through the historic Hampi were submerged. The five centuries old St Purandaradasa Mantapa in Hampi near Chakratheertha, closer to TB river, was completely submerged.
Further, water also reached the Lord Sriram temple and no access to enter the temple was lost. Another historic shrine, the Lord Hanuman temple, the first temple consecrated by Vijayanagar Rajguru St Vyasaraja Swami, had also lost the access.
Priest Dhananja Achar told Deccan Chronicle that he reached the temple through the back side of the hill area to perform daily poojas.
In view of the heavy flows into the river, tourists and devotees are arriving in large numbers at Hampi and connecting places of historic importance that are closer to the Tungabhadra river.
The authorities cautioned the people residing closer to the river from Hampi till Mantralayam to watchout for floods and possible eviction. In addition, the Raghavendra Swamy brindavan in Bitchali in AP-Karnataka borders was about to submerge but the floods reduced thereafter.
