Tungabhadra canal repair at Mylapur must be completed by August 9: Shivaraj Tangadagi

Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi on Friday (August 7) directed officials to complete restoration of the collapsed stretch of the Tungabhadra Left Bank Main Canal near the 46th Mile point near Mylapur by Sunday (August 9), stressing that the repair work should continue round the clock.

The Minister visited the site of the canal breach near Mylapur village along with Basanagouda Badarli, MLC, and reviewed the progress of the restoration works. The affected canal carries water with a discharge capacity of 2,800 cusecs.

Mr. Tangadagi said repair works should be carried out on a 24-hour basis to ensure early completion. He also directed the police to impose temporary restrictions on traffic over the canal bund until the repairs are completed so that the work could proceed without interruption.

The Minister further instructed irrigation officials to inspect the entire stretch of the Left Bank Main Canal, identify all vulnerable locations and complete necessary repair works before water is released into the canal.

He issued strict directions to Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL) engineer S.B. Malligawad to ensure that all damaged portions of the canal were repaired without delay.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Tangadagi said inflows into the Tungabhadra reservoir had increased considerably in recent days. About 10 tmcft of water had entered the reservoir over the past two days, including 4 tmcft on Thursday (August 6) alone. The reservoir presently holds 68 tmcft of water, he said.

The Minister announced that a meeting of the Tungabhadra Irrigation Consultative Committee (ICC) would be held on August 11 to decide on the release of water into the canal system. The meeting would be attended by MPs, MLAs, Opposition leaders, farmers and irrigation experts, whose views would be considered before taking a final decision on water release, he added.

Deputy Commissioner Suresh Itnal, Zilla Panchayat CEO Varnit Negi, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Nyamagouda were present during the inspection.