The 109-year-old Bodalkasa dam in Gondia district’s Tirora taluka breached on Monday morning after seepage developed near its head regulator, prompting authorities to alert 14 downstream villages. Officials said no village or farmland had been submerged and that there was no loss of life or property.
The medium irrigation project’s reservoir was about 95% full before the breach and has a capacity of 15.30 million cubic metres. The irrigation department expects the reservoir to lose nearly two-thirds of its water over the next two to four days, after which repair work can begin.
Chandrakant Dongre, a sub-divisional engineer with the irrigation department, said seepage began at about 6.30 am near the head regulator, which had been opened to supply water to farmers. “Seepage started at 6.30 am. It instantly took a big form, and the whole section was breached,” Dongre told The Times of India.
District authorities issued alerts to villages located downstream of the dam as water began moving away from settled areas. Gondia Collector Mandar Patki said residents should immediately contact the district control room if water entered a village. The numbers provided were 07182-230196 and 9881064449.
Rajan Chaube, the district disaster management officer, said water was flowing from the canal into a nala and then into the river, away from villages and farmland. He said the dam was not very large and that villages would not be submerged.
Water reached Sukdi Chowk, a village market area in Tirora taluka, but authorities said the level there was barely ankle-deep. Officials continued to monitor the flow and downstream conditions after the breach.
The incident occurred while the reservoir was holding a high volume of water and the irrigation system was being used to supply farmers. The immediate response has therefore focused on alerting downstream settlements, tracking the movement of released water and waiting for the reservoir level to fall before undertaking repairs.
Tirora MLA Vijay Rahangdale said he would demand an inquiry into the breach. The irrigation department’s assessment of the damaged section and the subsequent repair process are expected after the reservoir loses the projected volume of water over the next two to four days.
