Tungabhadra Dam gates inaugurated: Naidu, Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy at Hosapete on June 25
Synopsis
Three chief ministers and a Union minister will gather at Hosapete on June 25 to inaugurate 33 new crest gates at the 73-year-old Tungabhadra Dam — a ₹51 crore fix completed in six months after a gate was washed away in the August 2024 floods. Behind the ceremony, Telangana is already staking its water claim, adding political charge to what is also an engineering milestone.
Key Takeaways
Andhra Pradesh CM N.
Chandrababu Naidu , Karnataka CM D.
Shivakumar , Telangana CM A.
Revanth Reddy , and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.
Patil will inaugurate the new gates on 25 June at Hosapete, Karnataka .
All 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra Project were replaced at a cost of ₹51 crore , completed within six months .
The replacement was triggered by Gate No.
19 being washed away during floods in August 2024 ; the NDSA recommended replacing all spillway gates.
The project irrigates 1.46 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh alone, serving Kurnool , Kadapa , and Anantapur districts.
Telangana's Irrigation Minister N.
Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed officials to assert Telangana's water share under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) .
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, and Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil will jointly inaugurate the newly installed crest gates of the Tungabhadra Project on 25 June at Hosapete in Karnataka. The ceremony marks the completion of a ₹51 crore gate replacement drive that revived one of South India's most critical inter-state irrigation projects.
What Triggered the Gate Replacement
The urgency dates to August 2024, when Gate No. 19 of the Tungabhadra dam was washed away during severe flooding, triggering fears of uncontrolled water loss. As an emergency measure, the Andhra Pradesh government — acting on directives from Chief Minister Naidu — installed a temporary 'stop-log' gate to contain the breach. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) subsequently recommended replacing all spillway gates, setting the stage for a full-scale rehabilitation effort.
All 33 Gates Installed in Six Months
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka worked in coordination to install all 33 crest gates within six months, at a total cost of ₹51 crore, according to an official release issued on Tuesday, 24 June. The swift turnaround is notable given that the dam was built 73 years ago and had not undergone gate replacement of this scale before. Officials described the completion as effectively 'revitalising' the project for decades ahead.
Why the Tungabhadra Project Matters
The Tungabhadra Project is a lifeline for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana, supplying irrigation water to lakhs of acres of farmland and drinking water to hundreds of villages across the three states. In Andhra Pradesh alone, the project irrigates 1.46 lakh hectares, with water channelled to the districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, and Anantapur via the right canal. The project's safety was treated as a matter of high priority by both state governments given its scale of impact.
Telangana Asserts Its Water Rights
Ahead of the inauguration, Telangana's Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday directed state officials to prepare a comprehensive report covering the legal, technical, and administrative dimensions of Telangana's share of Tungabhadra waters. Reddy made clear that there would be 'no compromise' on utilising Telangana's share under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS), signalling that the state intends to actively assert its entitlements even as the two other riparian states lead the inauguration.
Political Backdrop and Invitation
A Karnataka delegation comprising former Minister N. S. Bosuraju, MLA Basavaraju, and MLC Basavanna Gowda met Chief Minister Naidu on Monday and formally invited him to the ceremony. The tri-state, multi-party presence at Hosapete — spanning the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Indian National Congress (Congress), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — underscores the cross-political significance of the project's restoration. With water-sharing tensions already surfacing from Telangana, the inauguration is as much a political moment as an engineering milestone.
Point of View
But the real story is what comes after the ribbon-cutting. Telangana's pre-emptive assertion of its RDS water rights signals that inter-state water politics around the Tungabhadra are far from settled — and the tri-state bonhomie on display at Hosapete may be short-lived. The 73-year-old dam's revival also raises a harder question: how many other ageing inter-state water structures are operating on borrowed time, waiting for a flood to force the issue?
NationPress
24 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Tungabhadra Dam crest gates being replaced?
Gate No. 19 of the Tungabhadra Dam was washed away during floods in August 2024, prompting the installation of a temporary stop-log gate. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) then recommended replacing all 33 spillway gates, which Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka completed within six months at a cost of ₹51 crore.
Who will inaugurate the new Tungabhadra Dam gates on June 25?
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, and Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil will jointly inaugurate the gates at a ceremony and public meeting in Hosapete, Karnataka.
How many districts in Andhra Pradesh benefit from the Tungabhadra Project?
The Tungabhadra Project irrigates 1.46 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh, supplying water to the Kurnool, Kadapa, and Anantapur districts through the right canal. It also provides drinking water to hundreds of villages across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana.
What is Telangana's position on Tungabhadra water sharing?
Ahead of the inauguration, Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to prepare a legal, technical, and administrative report on the state's water entitlement. He stated there would be no compromise on Telangana's share under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) on the Tungabhadra.
How old is the Tungabhadra Project and which states does it serve?
The Tungabhadra Project was built 73 years ago and serves as a critical water source for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. It provides irrigation water to lakhs of acres of agricultural land and drinking water to hundreds of villages across all three states.
