The annual maintenance works are on at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir to keep the structure aplomb. Executive Engineer K G Vijaykumar said “works like painting, pointing (masonry works done with mixture of cement and sand) and greasing to avoid the gates from rusting were being carried out'.
Our staff members and contract workers who are at the reservoir currently, are being used for the works. About 20 people including experts who carry out this exercise annually are closely monitoring the quality of the repair works. This work will be completed before the monsoon sets in,” he added.
According to Vijaykumar, the works are budgeted every year and approximately Rs 3-4 lakh is being spent on the operation.
Refuting media reports speculating permanent closure of the sluice gates, Vijaykumar said closing eight of the 102 gates permanently would mean inviting trouble during the days when there is surplus water. “It will increase the pressure tremendously on the area and walls of the reservoir.
It clearly spells danger for farmers living down the line,” he added.
The Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir -- which has been a bone of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu -- can store upto 49 tmc ft water. It has a maximum depth of 124.8 ft with 152 surplus sluice gates starting from heights of 113 ft to the lowest at 12 ft.
The gates will be opened phase by phase to release the water for drinking and irrigation purposes. The reservoir is among the primary sources of water to Mysore, Bangalore, Srirangapattana, Pandavapura and Mandya. Among these, Bangalore is the largest consumer of drinking water from this source.
Besides, the water collected at this reservoir feeds the crops to villages in Mysore and Mandya districts which primarily grow sugar cane and paddy -- both of these crops need huge amounts of water during all stages of growing and processing.