Urgent Repairs Underway After Hipparagi Barrage Gate Fails
Authorities in Karnataka are scrambling to repair a damaged crest gate at the crucial Hipparagi barrage, located on the border of Belagavi and Bagalkot districts. The incident, which occurred on January 6, has triggered a significant and rapid loss of stored water, causing deep concern among the farming communities in the region who depend on it for irrigation.
Scale of the Damage and Water Loss
The failure involved the second element of the barrage's 22nd crest gate. This breach led to an uncontrolled outflow, with officials estimating that around 8,000 cusecs of water was escaping every 24 hours. By Thursday evening, this resulted in a staggering cumulative loss of approximately 2 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of precious water. Consequently, the water level in the Krishna River downstream recorded a sharp drop of nearly 8 to 9 feet.
The Hipparagi barrage has a designed gross storage capacity of 6 TMC. However, its effective live storage had already been reduced by about 1.5 TMC due to siltation. The recent loss of an additional 2 TMC has therefore severely depleted the available resource, directly threatening agricultural operations.
War-Footing Restoration Efforts
Responding to the emergency, the water resources department has deployed an expert technical team from the Tungabhadra dam project. BR Rathod, Chief Engineer of Karnataka Niravari Nigam Limited (KNNL), stated that the damaged gate element was brought to the site on Wednesday. While initial installation attempts faced a setback as the element tilted, renewed efforts are ongoing to fix it securely.
"Our maintenance team is fully supporting the technical experts," Rathod told TOI, adding that all efforts were aimed at completing repairs by Thursday. KNNL Managing Director Rajesh Amminabhavi has been camping at the barrage site to personally oversee the restoration work. The Deputy Commissioners of both Belagavi and Bagalkot districts are also closely monitoring the situation.
Farmers' Anxiety and Political Reaction
The water loss has heightened anxiety among thousands of farmers across both districts. The barrage is vital for irrigating vast stretches of agricultural land, and its compromised state raises serious fears about water availability for crops in the coming critical weeks.
The situation has also drawn political criticism. Former Athani MLA Shahajahan Donganraon blamed the state government for apathy and alleged that inadequate maintenance of the barrage infrastructure led to the current crisis. His comments underscore the growing public pressure on authorities to not only fix the gate but also ensure long-term structural integrity.
As repair teams work against time, the focus remains on minimizing further water loss and restoring the barrage's functionality to secure the irrigation needs of Belagavi and Bagalkot.
