A team of specialists, led by former Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman AK Bajaj, has reported that the 19th crust gate of the Tungabhadra dam was washed away due to water pressure. Their findings suggest that all 33 gates should be replaced with new ones.
Before proceeding with the replacement, the dam’s capacity needs to be evaluated. The report does not assign blame for the incident. Experts believe that the gate, which is over 70 years old, likely failed under excessive water pressure, according to ORK Reddy, Secretary of the Tungabhadra Board. The team conducted their inspection of Annakatta on September 9 and 10, examining all relevant factors.