Mangaluru: The district authorities reportedly said that the newly constructed dams in Dakshina Kannada are structurally sound and currently pose no safety risks.
An executive engineer from Mangaluru City Corporation mentioned that regular maintenance is conducted in advance of the monsoon season to ensure all structures remain intact. “Thumbe vented dam, being a newly built structure, has so far not exhibited any signs of cracks or damage. We have written to a Bengaluru-based government-affiliated firm to conduct a safety inspection of the dam,” The New Indian Express quoted the official as saying.
The official further noted that contingency measures, including the installation of stop-log gates and a retaining wall, have been implemented to manage emergencies in the event of a failure of the main gates.
Similarly, the AMR Dam, under the Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ), has a storage capacity of 12.5 million cubic metres at a height of 18.9 metres, has also been declared safe by the authorities.
The Harekala dam, managed by the irrigation department and constructed in recent years, has not shown any signs of structural distress, officials added.
Other key infrastructures, such as the Jakribettu bridge-cum-barrage in Bantwal and the Saralikatte dam downstream of Uppinangady across the Nethravati river, are maintained on a quarterly basis to ensure structural integrity.
“There are 471 major and minor vented dams across Dakshina Kannada. We have received no reports of damage to any of these dams due to sand mining,” TNIE quoted an executive engineer of the district irrigation department.
According to a KPCL official, the Mani Dam, built across the Varahi river in 1989 and maintained by KPCL, also remains in good condition, supported by regular maintenance and adequate funding.
