The decades-old rusted sluice gates of the Sathanur dam across Thenpennai river in Tiruvannamalai has been replaced as part of repairs taken up recently.
Officials said the renovations were implemented by the Water Resources Department (WRD) under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) to strengthen the dilapidated structure, especially its corroded sluice gates. “The repair work was laborious since it was started in 2020, amid the peak of the pandemic,” B. Rajesh, Assistant Engineer, WRD (Sathanur dam), told The Hindu.
Built in 1958, the Sathanur dam has a total capacity of 7,321 mcft and a total height of 119 ft. The dam helps irrigate 50,000 acres of farmlands in Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram and stores water in 88 tanks in the districts, which is used to supply at least 150 villages and major towns, including Chengam and Tiruvannamalai town.
Officials said the sluice gates of the dam had not been repaired since its construction in 1958. Of the 20 sluices, nine are 20 ft. high and the rest are 15 ft., all of them having a width of 40 ft. So far, water was only stored up to 99 ft. considering the age of the sluice gates. At least 150 workers were employed to complete the replacement work.
“From this monsoon, the Sathanur dam can store excess rainwater up to its total height of 119 ft. An audit of the dam’s safety will also be done,” Mr. Rajesh said. The Sathanur dam was repaired at a cost of ₹90 crore, which included the construction of 201 housing quarters and the laying of a 15-km bitumen road around the dam.
Officials said the need for repairs of the dam arose after a sluice gate collapsed in the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) Dam in November 2017. Subsequently, the Public Works Ministry and the Union Water Resources Ministry organised a dam safety audit in the State. With funds from the World Bank, it was identified that 66 dams of the WRD needed urgent repairs.
