Desilting of intake tunnels at Kundah Powerhouse II begins

The landslips in the Avalanche area had led to silt depositing in the dam

Desilting works under way at Kundah Dam in Udhagmandalam.

The Tangedco’s Kundah Circle has begun works to desilt the intake tunnel leading to Kundah Powerhouse II.

Tangedco officials said that while yearly desilting works were carried out routinely, this year, the landslips in Avalanche had led to silt and debris accumulating in the intake tunnels leading to Kundah Powerhouse II.

“As a result, the sluice gates were opened for a day, so that the silt can be washed out of the dam and downstream,” said an official, who said that silt and debris had accumulated to a height of around five foot of the intake tunnels.

The landslips in the Avalanche area had led to silt depositing in the dam, thereby decreasing its storage capacity, the official added.

Tangedco officials are also in discussion to desilit the Pillur Dam, where soil and debris had accumulated due to floods in the Nilgiris in 2019.

“We are in the discussion stage on how to go about the desilting work there,” the official said.