TB dam outflow crosses 1L cusecs, crucial bridge submerged

Munirabad (Koppal): On Sunday evening, the Tungabhadra dam officials increased water discharge into the Tungabhadra River to more than 1 lakh cusecs, following significant inflows from the Tunga and Bhadra dams, the Varada River, and substantial rainfall in the catchment area. Given the weakened condition of the TB dam's crest gates, it was resolved to limit the storage to 80 tmcft. Hence, as at 10 am on Sunday, the reservoir's water storage was limited to 1,624.8ft, containing 75.7 tmcft of water, compared to the full reservoir level of 1,633ft (105 tmcft).The inflow, which was at 90,000 cusecs in the morning, is anticipated to increase to 1.4 lakh cusecs, attributed to 80,000 cusecs from the Tunga dam, 40,000 cusecs from the Bhadra dam, and 20,000 cusecs from the Varada River.In response to the rising inflow, the dam authorities commenced water release through 26 spillway gates, elevating them from 2.5ft to 4ft, starting at 2 pm. The outflow is expected to fluctuate between 90,000 cusecs and 1.4 lakh cusecs, depending on the inflow trends.As a result, the important Gangavathi-Kampli bridge near Kampli town in Ballari district is almost submerged, isolating the two districts in that area. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) has issued flood alerts for areas downstream of the reservoir.Officials from the Tungabhadra Board have also warned residents, farmers, and local authorities downstream along the Tungabhadra River to stay alert. Individuals living in low-lying regions and those approaching the riverbanks have been advised to take extreme precautions and avoid the riverbed.