ASSESSMENT OF SEDIMENT YIELD OF TUNGABHADRA PROJECT IN KRISHNA BASIN FROM RESERVOIR SURVEYS

The water being the most important reason for the evolution of mankind on earth, is tapped and utilized for the development of civilizations over the periods. The reservoirs, constructed across the river streams as part of water resources development projects, are the means for storing and using the water for various purposes. Any development poses a challenge in its wake and it is the sedimentation in the case of big projects like Tungabhadra Project which is located in Karnataka, India. The project has a catchment area of 28,519.41 Sq Km, located entirely in Tungabhdra Upper Sub basin. It serves 3.5 Lakh hectares in Karnataka and 1.46 Lakh hectares in undivided Andhra Pradesh. The sedimentation in the project has become alarming as the cost of removing the existing sediment is approximately equal to the cost of constructing another project of the same capacity. The present paper throws specific insights into quantification of sedimentation and its influence on life of the reservoir