Credit: Special arrangement
Hosapete (Vijayanagar district): The work on the replacement of the crest gates at the Tungabhadra Dam in Hosapete in Vijayanagar district is gathering pace, with a portion of the 18th gate cut and lifted from the dam.
Currently, the water level at the Tungabhadra Dam stands at 1,621.46 feet, against a maximum of 1,633 ft. The portion of the crest gate that was sliced and removed on Sunday was 10 feet above the surface of the water.
The authorities have commenced work at the centre of the reservoir, with work expected to be undertaken along the right and left flanks of the Tungabhadra Dam in phases. Sources in estimate that portions of crest gates around the centre of the reservoir may be removed by the third week of December.
Incidentally, it was the first time that a crane trundled into the Tungabhadra Dam. Once the portion of the 18th crest gate has been severed from the rest using a gas cutter, the crane was pressed into service to lift it up.
Currently, 65.52tmcft of water is stored at the dam, with a considerable amount of water being released into irrigation canals each day. Furthermore, before the water level drops all the way down to the concrete floor of the reservoir, water must be released from the dam
to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.