Tungabhadra dam’s new crest gates set for launch in a 3-CM show

Munirabad (Koppal): Newly installed crest gates at the Tungabhadra reservoir will be inaugurated on June 25 at Munirabad, with elaborate preparations under way for the event expected to be attended by Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, officials said.Tungabhadra Board secretary ORK Reddy said Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, the state’s water resources minister and several other dignitaries are expected to participate.DK Shivakumar has directed officials to ensure smooth conduct of the programme, prompting arrangements including the construction of helipads for VVIP movement.The newly installed crest gates have already been painted, while whitewashing of the reservoir wall is set to begin on Tuesday.

Roads connecting the reservoir from Hosapete and Koppal are being repaired, and officials are making arrangements to ensure hassle-free traffic during the event.Completed in 1953, the reservoir serves as an irrigation source for 17.3 lakh hectares of farmland across Karnataka’s Vijayanagara, Ballari, Koppal and Raichur districts, Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool, Anantapur and Kadapa districts, and Telangana’s Mahabubnagar district.

The original gates remained in service well beyond their expected lifespan of five decades until the 19th gate, measuring about 60 feet in width and 20 feet in height, was washed away on the night of Aug 10, 2024, resulting in a substantial discharge of water into the Tungabhadra river.Following sustained demands after the incident, the contract for replacing the crest gates was awarded in Dec 2025 to Ahmedabad-based Hardware Tools and Machine Project Limited.

The company has previously installed gates at the Farakka Barrage reservoir in West Bengal, the KRS reservoir and the Narayanpur dam.The new gates, installed at Rs 51.8 crore, were fabricated at yards in Adavi Somapur near Gadag, the Tungabhadra Board yard in Vijayanagara and the TB Board yard in Koppal.The state govt’s decision to withhold water supply for the second crop during the installation period had triggered protests in four riparian districts. Ministers and legislators had appealed to farmers to forgo one crop season to facilitate the replacement, assuring them of adequate water availability in the future.With the work completed within the scheduled timeframe and ahead of the monsoon, the project has brought relief to farmers who feared delays would affect irrigation.