The recent collapse of a crest gate at the Tungabhadra Dam has sparked a debate over accountability. Experts point to aging infrastructure, lack of timely maintenance, and possible oversight by dam authorities. The incident has raised concerns about the safety and management of critical water resources, urging a thorough investigation.
One of the 33 crest gates of the 71-year-old Tungabhadra Water Reservoir was washed away on 10 August 2024. Heavy rain on 10 August caused the reservoir to fill to the brim, and the collapse of the 19th crest gate left authorities scrambling to prevent flooding in nearby areas.
Preliminary assessments suggest the failure of the crest gate was due to a damaged pin that connects the gate and chain. The National Dam Safety Authority attributed the failure to rusting and aging.
The Tungabhadra Board initiated restoration works, constructing five elements and a stop-log to control the massive outflow of water. The ongoing restoration works, led by field expert Khanaiya Naidu, aim to install the five elements and stop-log to prevent further damage.
Despite initial challenges, the authorities are working to complete the temporary restoration within a day or two, with a full-scale restoration planned after the monsoon season. Substantial repair can only occur once the level of water reduces. The incident raised concern amid accusations of negligence, with BJP leaders criticising the Karnataka government.
However, officials from the Tungabhadra Board, Karnataka Water Resource Department, and Cabinet ministers clarify that the Center is responsible for the maintenance of the reservoir, along with the Tungabhadra Board, comprising members from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, who holds the water resources portfolio, cabinet ministers, and elected members from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana visited the reservoir after the incident.
What caused the failure?
This is the first time that severe damage has occurred to infrastructure at the dam, since it was commissioned in 1953. The reservoir has a total of 33 vertical lift type crest gates, with a maximum water storage capacity of 105.788 tmc (thousand million cubic feet).
The crest gates are operated from an overhead bridge. When the incident occurred, the Tungabhadra Board (TB) was discharging 40,000 cusecs of water downstream with opening only 10 crest gates – from gates numbers 12 to 21.
On the following day, the authorities were compelled to open the remaining 21 gates to prevent mounting pressure on the 19th gate, which was damaged completely. The water discharge was also increased up to 1 lakh cusecs.
Water Resource Department Secretary Krishnamurthy B Kulkarni speaking to #Khabarlive, said: “It is a 71-year-old reservoir. The crest gates here are operated through a chain, which is used as a linkage with the gate through a pin. As per the preliminary assessment, the pin that connects both the crest gate and chain was damaged. Hence, the crest gate washed away on 10 August. However, the detailed enquiry will be taken up only after the restoration works are culminated.”
Tungabhadra Board Secretary ORK Reddy told #Khabarlive, “Personnel from the National Dam Safety Authority from Chennai had arrived to take stock of the incident. As per their preliminary observation, the crest gate was damaged due to rusting and ageing. However, they have not begun the in-detail assessment yet.” Reddy said the reservoir is 71 years old, and the life of a stop-log or crest gate would be about 40 years.
The delay
Restoration work at the reservoir could only begin on Thursday, 15 August, five days after the incident. The Tungabhadra Board initiated measures to mitigate the damage, starting with construction of five elements and a stop-log on the very next day of the incident, to control the massive outflow of water. The construction of these elements and stop-log was entrusted to Hindusthan Engineering, Narayana Engineering and Jindal Steels Limited, and is being undertaken about 20 km from the reservoir.
On the first day of the work, engineers found it difficult to install the 13-tonne stop-log developed by Jindal Steels Limited on the 19th crest gate. Secretary Krishnamurthy Kulkarni told #Khabarlive, “We could not install stop-log due to its length and other hurdles. It was designed well with the help of Khanaiya Naidu. The team attempted to fix it till evening on Thursday but could not do it without altering the original structure of the reservoir.”
“We had planned to install the stop-log first and then five elements to arrest the water. The water level in this particular gate (19) is up by around 20ft. It is also flowing with high force. However, we are planning to install the first element by Friday evening or Saturday morning.”
“If the first element is fixed then we will go ahead with fixing the remaining four elements to prevent the huge water flow from the 19th crest gate. Each of these elements is 60ft in width and 4ft in height. This will be a temporary restoration work. The full-scale is likely to be taken up only after the monsoon,” Kulkarni explained, adding that the temporary work would be completed in a day or two.
If the authorities do not manage to fix the damaged gate now, they will have to wait till the reservoir is emptied to up to a third of its storage capacity. Since the incident of 10 August, the board has discharged over 40 tmc of water downstream, issuing flood warnings to the people living near the river. This reservoir has maximum storage of 105.78tmc, and current storage is at 72.61 tmc. The inflow stands at 33,419 cusecs and outflow is at 86,310 cusecs. The current water level stands at 1,623.79ft against the maximum capacity of 1,633ft.
History of Tungabhadra Reservoir
The Tungabhadra Dam was first conceived by British Army officer and irrigation engineer with the colonial Madras Presidency, Sir Arthur Cotton in the 1860s. Sir Cotton wished to utilise the waters of the Tungabhadra River to irrigate the famine-prone regions of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh.
The Tungabhadra River originates from the confluence of two streams, Tunga and Bhadra, which are147 km and 178 km long, respectively, in the Western Ghats near Shivamogga in Karnataka. The river then flows for 531 km before joining the Krishna River at Sangameswaram in Andhra Pradesh.
This river traverses 382 km in Karnataka, and forms the border between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for 58 km, and continues for another 91 km in Andhra Pradesh. The total catchment area of the river is 69,552 sq km up to its confluence with Krishna and 28,177 sq km up to the Tungabhadra Dam.
It took nearly 80 years of negotiations, investigations, and agreements between the Governments of Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, and Bombay to finally reach a consensus on sharing the waters and constructing the dam since it was first proposed in the 1860s.
The first agreement was signed in 1936 between Madras and Mysore, followed by another agreement in 1938 between Madras and Hyderabad. However, differences in interpretation led to delays, and it was not until 26 June, 1944, that a final decision was made on the allocation of waters and joint construction of the project.
The Tungabhadra Project was formally inaugurated on 28 February, 1945, but progress was slow due to technical disagreements and political changes in Hyderabad. The project gained momentum in 1949, and excavation began in 1947. Masonry construction started on 15 April, 1949, and the riverbed portion was completed by the summer of 1950.
The dam was substantially completed by October 1953, enabling water storage up to 1,613 ft. Acquisition of lands, rehabilitation of displaced persons, and construction of the spillway, bridge road, and utility tower were completed by June 1958.
About 90 villages and 54,452 people were affected due to the construction of the reservoir. The total cost of the dam and other works was ₹16.96 crore. This river is the lifeline of Koppal, Gadag, Ballari and Vijayanagara districts in Karnataka.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the three party states for the inter-state Tungabhadra Board. For the last few years, Karnataka is utilising around 110tmc, Andhra Pradesh is availing about 50tmc and Telangana is tapping up to 5tmc.
Who maintains the dam?
Currently, Tungabhadra Water Reservoir at Hospete is being looked after by the Tungabhadra Board, which is monitored and managed by the Government of India and three riparian states are party to it.
The Tungabhadra Board was established on 1 October 1953, under the Andhra Pradesh Act, 1953. It was initially composed of a chairman appointed by the Government of India and six members, including chief engineers from the Irrigation and Power Departments of Andhra, Mysore, and Hyderabad States.
The Board was reconstituted on March 15, 1955, with a new composition consisting of a chairman nominated by the Government of India and four members representing the Government of India, Andhra, Mysore, and Hyderabad.
After the states were reorganized in 1956, the Board was further reconstituted to have a chairman and three members representing the Government of India, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka and Telangana since 2014.
While the Board looked after the maintenance of the Tungabhadra Dam, the BJP leaders criticised the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government, accusing it of negligence over the breakdown of the 19th crest gate. In his post on X, former CM and Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar blamed the Siddaramaiah government over the incident.
“The catastrophic failure of the Tungabhadra dam gate is not just an accident — it’s the consequence of @INCKarnataka‘s rampant corruption and gross negligence,” Shettar posted, adding, “Despite repeated warnings, critical maintenance was ignored, leading to this disaster that has devastated the lives of farmers who were already struggling,” he said.
“Their dreams of a bountiful harvest have been washed away due to the incompetence and indifference of this government. Karnataka’s farmers deserve accountability, not empty promises,” charged the former CM, who visited the dam after the incident was reported. However, officials of the Karnataka’s Water Resource Department and cabinet ministers said the Centre is responsible for maintenance of this reservoir, not state governments.
Karnataka’s Minister for Minor Irrigation NS Boseraju told #Khabarlive: “There is no direct responsibility on the Karnataka government over the maintenance of the Tungabhadra reservoir. Tungabhadra Board looks after all the affairs including maintenance pertaining to this reservoir. Tungabhadra Board comes under the Government of India. It is the Centre that is responsible.”
He explained that maintenance costs are reimbursed by the three party states. He also pointed out that the Board comprises members, engineers and officials from all the three party states – Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — and also representatives from the Centre.
Meanwhile, the officials of the Tungabhadra Board and local district administrations (Koppal and Vijayanagara) denied allegations that a warning pertaining to critical maintenance was issued.
“Tamil Nadu’s Central Electrochemical Research Institute visited last year to verify the fitness of the reservoir. They did not express any concerns over safety and fitness of the dam. Moreover, we were not issued any warning about the fitness or the safety of the dam from any authorities prior to this incident,” Board secretary ORK Reddy said, pointing out that the reservoir is 71 years old. #hydkhabar
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