The 51-year-old Kabini dam in Karnataka’s Mysuru district has raised serious concerns after an inspection. Underwater robots and cameras deployed by the irrigation department recently detected a crack of up to half a metre and a cavity through which water is leaking. The dam is on Kapila river, a tributary of the Cauvery, and is crucial to provide water for irrigation, drinking and power generation in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, between whom water-sharing is a very sensitive issue. Kapila as a feeder to Cauvery benefits the Karnataka districts of Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mysuru, and the state capital Bengaluru, besides the Tamil Nadu districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram
The Kabini reservoir now is almost up to the brim, recording 2,278.4 feet against the maximum storage height of 2,284 feet, due to the persistent heavy rains in its catchment area over the past few days. Any weakening of the structure leading to more water leakage could pose severe problems for the downstream Krishnaraja Sagara dam, which is already filled up to 120.9 feet against a maximum height of 124.8 feet. Unusual flows from these dams would not just adversely affect agricultural activities in the delta regions of the two states, but a worse-case scenario like a structural collapse can be catastrophic with flooding of parts of Mysuru and Kodagu.
Although experts have ruled out an immediate threat to the Kabini dam structure, they have insisted that any neglect or delay in filling up the cavity and crack can have disastrous consequences. Irrigation department officials are preparing a report for the ₹85-crore strengthening work to present to the Union government and are expecting to invite project bids in November. The high turbidity of water is claimed to be an obstacle for professional divers to do the filling up right away, raising the question why maintenance works were not taken up when the reservoir’s levels were not as high. Dam Safety Act, 2021 mandates both the state and central institutional frameworks to undertake regular maintenance. The Karnataka and Union governments must work together on a war-footing despite their political differences to avert any catastrophe arising from delayed maintenance work at these crucial sites.