Dam burst averted due to prompt action

Wardha: The Kurha irrigation project at Kurzadi (fort) would have burst on July 18 had it continued to rain for the next half an hour. It was 100 percent full and two feet above the pitching due to the heavy downpour.
The villagers were a worried lot. “Had it rained for another half an hour or so then the dam would have burst,” said villagers.
Kurha is located at the source of Yashoda River near the village of Kurzadi Fort along the Rasulbad route. The work of this lake was completed in 1983. It has a capacity of 1.87 million cubic metres. With a height of 10.55 metres, this lake falls into the class 3 category. The length of this lake is 1km.
After the wall of the earthen dam developed a crack, villagers immediately informed the administration. Two and a half feet of water was flowing above the pitching during the two days when it rained heavily.
“A scary picture had emerged due to the increasing flow of the water. A fisherman and a member of the water utilisation organization at the dam immediately alerted Avinash Dasewal, sub divisional engineer, arvi irrigation division,” said Ramchandra Meshram, a canal inspector.
Dasewal reached the dam and started draining out water. The JCB and manpower were pressed into service.
A large quantity was discharged into the Yashoda River. Kurzdi (Fort), Bara Sonegaon and nearby villages had been altered.
Shankar Mankar, president of the Mansangir Maharaj Water Utilization Organization, said, “Due to heavy rain, water had gone two and a half feet above the pitching. The dam was on the verge of bursting. We immediately informed the sub divisional engineer. The JCB was used for five hours. An accident was averted due to the discharge of water.”
“In 2013 and 2019, there were similar cracks. At that time, residents of Bara Sonegaon village were relocated. This is an earthen dam. Technical experts of the irrigation department know how much it will hold. But the same question arises as to why no permanent solution is planned. It has the capacity to irrigate an area of about five hundred hectares. I am submitting my reports to department to convert this dam into class two by increasing its height by 15 metres,” said Dasewal.