Water level at the Thumbe vented dam supplying water to the city has been restored after removing one of the three “sluice valves with gear” in the intake well at the pumping station for repairs.
K.S. Linge Gowda, Executive Engineer (Water Supply), Mangaluru City Corporation, told The Hindu that those valves controlled water supply from the river (dam) to the intake well. As one of the valves had developed a snag, it needed repairs.
It was removed on Tuesday after lowering the water level. The water level was restored to four metres late on Tuesday itself.
He said that when the corporation was storing water in the old dam, there was no need to lower the water level to remove any parts from the intake well for repairs.
It was because the corporation was maintaining the water level only at 2.5 m till November.
Water was being impounded to the full capacity of 4 m high only during December by fixing the gates manually.
After the new dam was commissioned in December last, the corporation began storing water up to five metres.
As there is enough inflow in the dam now, the water level had been maintained below five metres. The water level had to be reduced on Tuesday to remove the valve for repair.
But unnecessary apprehension and panic was created on Tuesday as it was speculated that it was being done to facilitate sand extraction in the upstream of the dam. As all the gates in the new dam are mechanically operated, it would take a maximum of six hours to impound water up to five metres now.
As the valve removed is under repair, the water level in the dam would have to be lowered again for fixing it. It would be done by taking permission from the Deputy Commissioner, who visited the dam on Wednesday.
As there is enough inflow, the storage would not be affected, he said.