An expert team assesses the safety of Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai during monsoon

A team of experts from the water resources department inspects the channels, spillway gates and other structural aspects of the dam. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

An expert team of the Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation (CDSE) Committee of the Water Resources Department (WRD) conducted a detailed structural and safety inspection of the Sathanur Dam in Tiruvannamalai on Wednesday.

WRD officials said that as per the norms under the National Dam Safety Act, 2021, an expert team should inspect major dams in the state at least once in a decade to assess safety features. “Such an inspection by technical experts helps to carry out repairs in the structure and operation of the dam as part of enhancing the safety of the facility,” N. Santhosh, Assistant Engineer, WRD (Sathanur Dam) told The Hindu.

The team was led by AK Bajaj, former chairman of the Central Water Commission. Other team members included R. Srinivasan, former Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India, K. Padmanaban and R. Selvam, retired Chief Engineers, WRD, and R. Tamil Selvan, Superintending Engineer, WRD, Pennaiyar Basin Circle.

WRD officials said the team inspected shutters, earthen structures, left and right channels, dam body, spillway gates, hydro-mechanical components and related structures. They also worked with engineers on site, including E. Arivazhagan, Executive Engineer, and E. Rajaraman, Assistant Executive Engineer, WRD.

WRD officials said that among the 20 major dams in the state, Sathanur dam is the third largest after Mettur and Bhavani Sagar in terms of storage capacity and height. Currently, the dam has a water storage of 3,769 mcft (51.48%) against a total storage capacity of 7,321 mcft of water.

WRD officials said that every year 4 tmc of water is stored in the dam for irrigation. While water from the left bank of the dam feeds 30 tanks in Tiruvannamalai and 10 in Villupuram, the right bank canal is connected to 48 tanks in Villupuram.

Published – 05 Nov 2026 0:54 IST