Koraput: A leakage in the Telengiri Irrigation Project (TIP) reservoir threatens to disrupt farming activities across 52 villages in Koraput district, potentially leaving thousands of hectares of farmland without water during the rabi season.
Technical challenges have cropped up in repairing the leakage, first detected on Nov 12 at the Ranigad reservoir in Jeypore block, with the water escaping through a faulty sluice gate located around 100 feet below the surface.
"Repairs can only commence once the reservoir is completely drained," said Santosh Mahapatra, chief construction engineer of the Upper Kolab Irrigation Project. "At the current leakage rate of 20 mm per hour, the reservoir won't be empty until late Dec or early Jan," he added.
The reservoir's water level currently stands at 629 metres, just shy of its 633-m capacity. Odisha Construction Corporation (OCC) Ltd plans to begin repairs around March or April next year, effectively ruling out irrigation this rabi season.
The Rs 992.85-crore project, completed in 2019, was designed to irrigate 9,952 hectares across Jeypore and Borigumma blocks. "We have verified over 5,000 hectares of ayacut area out of the targeted 9,000-plus hectares," Mahapatra added.
The problematic sluice gate, part of the original construction, was intended to remain permanently sealed after commissioning. Its failure during the project's trial irrigation phase has raised concerns about the infrastructure's integrity.