Flood Alert In Andhra As Tungabhadra Dam Gate Chain Link Breaks

The Andhra Pradesh government has issued a flood alert for low-lying areas in united Kurnool district after a chain link of a crest gate at the Tungabhadra Reservoir in upstream Karnataka broke.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation on Sunday following the incident at the reservoir near Hosapete in Vijayanagara district, which occurred late on Saturday.

Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Ramanaidu reported that, on the Chief Minister’s directive, teams from the Central Design Commissioner and Engineering Division were dispatched to the Tungabhadra dam.

The broken chain link led to a sudden outflow of approximately 35,000 cusecs of water. The dam authorities issued an alert, warning people to avoid the river downstream as the outflow could potentially increase to 2 lakh cusecs at any moment.

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Ramanaidu said that collectors in the affected districts were instructed to alert residents in Kowthalam, Kosigi, Mantralayam, and Nandavaram mandal. Authorities at the Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, and Pulichintala projects were also advised to stay vigilant.

Chandrababu Naidu asked Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav to consult Tungabhadra dam officials about installing a temporary gate. However, officials reported difficulties in setting up temporary stop-lock arrangements.

On Saturday, dam authorities had reduced the water discharge by about 28,000 cusecs due to decreased rainfall in the catchment area, maintaining the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 1633 feet with a total storage of 105.788 tmcft. After the chain link of Crest Gate No. 19 broke at around 10:50 p.m., all 33 crest gates were opened to alleviate pressure, causing the discharge to rise to one lakh cusecs by Sunday morning.

Officials noted that the increased discharge was intended to lower the reservoir’s water level to facilitate repair work on the broken chain link.