KOPPAL/HOSAPETE: A team of experts has come up with two plans to fix the broken Crest Gate No 19 of the Tungabhadra Dam. The plans have been placed before the state government and the repair work is expected to be completed by this weekend.
N Kannaiah Naidu, an expert in hydro-mechanical engineering (dams), and other members of the team are gearing up to fix the broken crest gate. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments have deputed two experts to the dam site to keep them abreast of the situation there.
According to Naidu’s Plan A, the team will wait till water storage in the dam comes down to 60 tmcft to take up repair work. Under Plan B, the team will install half of the gate after diverting water from the spot using heavy metal sheets, a senior member of the team said.
“The 45-tonne crest gate washed away in the river after its chain link snapped. Now, a private company is building a new gate at Hosapete and it is expected to be ready by Tuesday evening. But as per Plan A, we have to wait for four more days when water storage in the dam reaches 60 tmcft. More than 10 tmcft of water flowed from the dam after the gate gave way on Sunday morning,” he said.
ORK Reddy, executive officer of the TB Dam Board, said efforts are on to complete the repair work at the earliest. Water is being released from all the crest gates of the dam. The state government and the experts’ team are doing their best to avoid heavy outflow from the dam, he added.
CM to visit Dam today
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will visit the TB dam to get first-hand information and hold meetings with officials supervising the repair work on Tuesday. He said the government will constitute a team of experts that would visit all the dams to assess safety aspects and give a report within a month. He said they can save around 60 tmcft of water and are making all efforts.