Tungabhadra Reservoir crest gate washed away; flood alert issued

Sub: Geo

Sec: Indian Physical Geo

Context:

A crest gate of the Tungabhadra reservoir, near Hospete, in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka was washed away recently, raising fears of floods downstream.

Details

After the chain link of crest gate 19 was broken and the gate was washed away in the current, the remaining 32 crest gates were opened to reduce the pressure on the broken gate. The discharge gradually increased and reached one lakh cusecs on Sunday morning.
Prohibitory orders were issued to prevent people from venturing into the reservoir and the river’s banks.
Several monuments at the World Heritage Site of Hampi are likely to be flooded if the slipway discharge crosses 2 lakh cusecs.

Tungabhadra Reservoir/Dam

Tungabhadra dam also known as Pampa Sagar is a multipurpose dam built across Tungabhadra River in Karnataka.
The Tungabhadra reservoir, along with the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala, holds the unique distinction of being the only two reservoirs in India that were built using a combination of mud and limestone materials.

Tungabhadra River

Largest tributary of river Krishna
The river Tungabhadra derives its name from two streams viz., the Tunga, about 147 km (91.6 miles) long and the Bhadra, about 178 Km (110.9 miles) long which rise in the Western Ghats. The river after the influence of the two streams near Shimoga, runs for about 531 Km (330 miles) till it joins the river Krishna at Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh. It runs for 382 Km (237 miles) in Karnataka, forms the boundary between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for 58 Km (36 miles) and further runs for the next 91 Km (57 miles) in Andhra Pradesh. The total catchment area of the river is 69,552 Sq Km (26,856 Sq miles) up to its confluence with Krishna and it is 28,177 Sq Km (10,880 Sq miles) up to Tungabhadra Dam.
It is influenced chiefly by the South-West monsoon.
It is a perennial river but the summer flows dwindle to as low as 2.83 to 1.42 cumec (100 to 50 cusec).
Major tributaries are Bhadra, Vedavati, Tunga and Varda
The ancient name of the river was Pampa, and it finds mention in the Ramayana. The river is considered sacred by Hindus.
Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage site is located on the banks of the river.
Virupaksha temple is also located on the banks of river Tungabhadra.