Mysuru: A team from the Dam Safety Review Panel, a part of the Central Water Commission, New Delhi inspected the KRS Reservoir on July 2 and assured that the safety and operational performance of sluice gates of the dam near Srirangapatna in Mandya district are apporopriate.
The Central team was received by KRS Executive Engineer Basavarajegowda and other officials, who took them around the reservoir before the team began their inspection.
The eight-member team have been undertaking inspection following the submission of a Rs. 40 crore proposal by the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd. (CNNL) to improve the safety of the reservoir. The proposal envisages to replace 136 defunct sluice gates at a cost of Rs. 18 crore and to undertake strengthening works at a cost of Rs. 22 crore.
The proposed project was submitted to the World Bank seeking funds under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) to replace the defunct sluice gates and stop seepages. DRIP is a multi-State project and the World Bank takes up works such as replacements of sluice gates and stopping leakages.
The reservoir has 173 sluice gates out of which 136 gates are corroded or damaged and out of the remaining 37 gates, the Irrigation Department has closed six ‘canal sluice gates’ and four ‘turbine sluice gates’ after they became defunct a few years back.
KRS Police Station Inspector Manju and staff provided security. Officials of the Tourism Department, Irrigation Department and Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd., accompanied the Central Water team.
