Tungabhadra in Spate; 1.28 Lakh Cusecs Released from Dam
The outflows from TB dam into the river would reach Srisailam via Raichur district of Karnataka and Mantralayam of Kurnool district.
Anantapur: A high alert was sounded for those living downstream of Tungabhadra reservoir and its river bed -- from the dam towards the historic Hampi and Mantralayam -- following large outflows of floodwaters from the swollen reservoir on Wednesday.
The dam recorded an outflow of 1.28 lakh for the first time in its history. The last 10 years’ average outflow was just 37,447 cusecs, officials noted on Wednesday.
The dam authorities lifted 26 crest gates and released floodwaters, following heavy inflows from upstream parts of the river in the Western Ghats.
In addition, officials said, the TB dam’s storage capacity was 78tmc-ft as against 105tmc-ft because of the poor strength of the crest gates that served its purpose for more than 45 years.
The dam authorities decided to maintain only 78tmc-ft storage after the 19th gate was washed away in the floods last year. This apart, several gates were unable to withstand water pressure above the prescribed limit.
On Wednesday, the TB dam witnessed record inflows of 1.28 lakh cusecs -- against the 31,000 cusecs during last year. The ten years’ average was only 42,000 cusecs.
“Thes abnormal inflows were witnessed for the first time in more than a decade. Some 1.28 lakh cusecs of water was discharged into the river along with dependent canals,” a senior official from TB dam stated.
As a result, the swollen Tungabhadra river witnessed a flow at dangerous level, with several historical structures including temples having been inundated.
“The historic Lord Srirama Temple at Chakratheertha and the Lord Yantroddaraka Hanuman temple had no access after water inundated the areas around these temples,” priest Dhananjaychar told Deccan Chronicle.
The Lord Sri Rama temple, where idols of Sri Rama, Goddess Sitha, Bharatha and Sathrugna are placed, was about to inundate totally.
Even as the Tungabhadra project was having full storage, the dependent canals --the High Level Main Canal and Low Level Canal -- were unable to draw more water because of the poor condition of the bunds and bridges at many stretches enroute to Anantapur and Kurnool districts.
The outflows from TB dam into the river would reach Srisailam via Raichur district of Karnataka and Mantralayam of Kurnool district.
