Sathanur Dam gets new sluice gate after decades

The decades-old rusty sluice gate of the Sathanur dam across the Thenpenai river in Tiruvannamalai has been replaced as part of the recent repairs.

Officials said the renovation was implemented by the Water Resources Department (WRD) under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) to strengthen the dilapidated structure, especially its dilapidated sluice gates. “The repair work was painstaking since it started in 2020, amid the peak of the pandemic,” said B Rajesh, assistant engineer, WRD (Sathanur Dam). Hindu,

Constructed 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 farmland in Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram and stores water in 88 tanks across the districts, which are used to supply at least 150 villages and major cities, including Chengam and Tiruvannamalai towns.

Officials said the sluice gate of the dam had not been repaired since its construction in 1958. Of the 20 sluices, nine are 20 feet high and the rest are 15 feet, all of them 40 feet in width. Until now, given the age of the sluice gate, the water used to be stored only up to 99 feet. At least 150 workers were employed to complete the replacement work.

“From this monsoon, the Sathanur dam can store additional rainwater up to a total height of 119 feet. An audit of the safety of the dam will also be conducted,” said Mr. Rajesh. The Sathanur Dam was repaired at a cost of ₹90 crore, which included construction of 201 housing quarters and a 15-km bitumen road around the dam.

Officials said the need for dam repair arose after a sluice gate collapsed in the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) dam in November 2017. Subsequently, the Ministry of Public Works and the Union Ministry of Water Resources conducted a dam safety audit in the state. With World Bank funding, it was identified that 66 dams of the WRD are in need of urgent repair.