The repeated negligence of the Karnataka state government in repairing the damaged crest gates of the Tungabhadra Dam has once again put the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers in jeopardy. Despite repeated warnings from dam safety experts and promises from ministers, no substantial action has been taken, resulting in the loss of crucial water storage capacity and threatening one entire agricultural season.
District In-charge Minister Shivraj Thangadagi admitted on August 16 that as many as seven gates of the Tungabhadra Dam near Munirabad have bent. These include gate numbers 4, 11, 18, 20, 24, 27 and 28. Six of them cannot be operated, while the fourth gate can only be raised by two feet. The minister himself acknowledged that the damaged gates have created a dangerous situation, especially as heavy inflows continue due to rains in the Malnad region.
Last year, the 19th crest gate was washed away, leading to massive water loss. Experts at that time had submitted a detailed report urging the government to replace all the old gates immediately. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister personally visited the site and assured farmers and officials that new gates would be installed on priority. Yet, a whole year has passed, and not even the 19th gate has been replaced. Instead, more gates have now failed, further aggravating the crisis.
Currently, the reservoir holds only 80 TMC feet of water against its total storage capacity of 105.788 TMC feet. Since July, nearly 130 TMC feet of water have flowed downstream, much of it crossing into Andhra Pradesh, because the bent gates cannot hold back the water. This uncontrolled release has robbed Karnataka farmers of the very resource they depend on to cultivate their paddy crops.
Farmers in Koppal, Raichur, Ballari and Vijayanagar districts have raised an alarm that only one crop can now be supported this year instead of two. With thousands of acres depending on timely irrigation from the Tungabhadra, the shortage will directly hit both food security and rural incomes. “The government has completely failed to protect our rights over the Tungabhadra water. While Andhra Pradesh fields are being irrigated, our farmers are staring at crop failure,” lamented a farmer leader in Gangavathi.
Adding to the outrage, Gangavathi MLA Janardhana Reddy squarely blamed the state government for ignoring repeated warnings. “If the gates had been replaced last year itself, the dam would not be in this position today. This negligence could even endanger the very safety of the reservoir,” he said.
The Dam Safety Review Committee, too, has repeatedly cautioned that with inflows crossing 23,000 cusecs per day, the damaged gates may not withstand the pressure. If inflows suddenly rise to over 1.5 lakh cusecs, the reservoir could face a dangerous situation where all 33 gates will need to be opened simultaneously, an operational impossibility under the current conditions.
Farmers’ organisations have condemned the government for allowing bureaucratic delays and ignoring technical advice, demanding immediate replacement of all damaged gates. “For years, ministers have been making statements, but no action has been taken. It is the farmers who are paying the price for their indifference,” said one farmer activist.
With water continuing to flow into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana due to the defective gates, the crisis has also sparked political anger.
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