Part of Coleroon regulator dam washed away due to heavy flow of water in Tamil Nadu

Tiruchirappalli: Eight shutters of the more than a century-old Mukkombu regulator dam across river Coleroon near here collapsed due to heavy flow of water, officials said on Thursday. 

Eight of the 45 shutters of the dam were washed away last night, four days after the collapse of a section of a 92-year old road bridge across Coleroon about 12 kms downstream from the dam.

The river, which branches off from Cauvery at Mukkombu, has been carrying huge quantum of water in the past several days in view of heavy discharge from the Mettur Dam, touching over two lakh cusecs.

Tamil Nadu Public Works Department Principal Secretary S K Prabhakar today inspected the regulator dam and said the washing away of the eight shutters would neither affect water flow for irrigation nor cause any damage.

The excess water coming from Mettur Dam would be discharged into the Cauvery, he told reporters here.

He said all the regulator dams, which were more than 100 years old, would be inspected and strengthened if necessary.

An enquiry has been ordered into the collapse of the shutters of the Mokkombu dam, and a report would be submitted to Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, he said.

Some retired PWD engineers claimed the shutters were washed away as the dam had not been maintained properly for several years.

Illegal sand mining was also a reason for the mishap as such mining had weakened their base, a PWD official, who did not want to be named, told PTI.

Mokkumbo is the spot where Coleroon river branches off from Cauvery, forming Srirangam island.