Bokaro: Authorities opened gates at three major dams in Bokaro district — Tenughat, Garga and Konar — as heavy rain raised reservoir levels and increased the flow in the Damodar and other rivers. Officials stepped up monitoring and issued precautionary alerts for vulnerable areas, particularly downstream and along river channels.Six radial gates of Tenughat dam were opened on Sunday after the reservoir level reached 851.75 feet at 6 am, just 0.25 ft below its maximum conservation level of 852 ft. The dam received 17.4 mm of rain in the past 24 hours, while 23,355 cusecs of water was being discharged through the spillway, officials said.The reservoir had a gross storage capacity of 43,973 hectare metres and live storage of 27,768 hectare m. With the water level continuing to rise, district and police officers were alerted as a precautionary measure.Damodar Valley Corporation’s Konar project announced that discharge from Konar dam would be increased to 5,000 cusecs from 9 pm on Sunday. The discharge was around 1,100 cusecs at the time of the announcement.Residents in downstream areas and locations along water flow routes were advised to remain cautious and avoid entering river channels or areas with strong currents. Officials and departments concerned were directed to maintain heightened vigil.At Garga dam, the water level stood at 765.4 ft on Saturday, 1.6 ft below the danger mark of 767 ft. To regulate the outflow, gate number 3 was kept open by around five inches.Chas SDO Pranjal Dhanda said the water level and flow were being monitored continuously. “The operation of the gate would be regulated according to changes in the reservoir level and the inflow of water,” he said.Officials said the three dams would remain under close watch, with further action depending on rainfall, inflow and reservoir levels.
