Massive crack in under-construction dam in Dhar; 40,000 people asked to shift to safer places
   Date :13-Aug-2022

crack in under-construction dam  
 
 
 
By Bhavana
‘Aparajita’ Shukla
A frisson of shocked ripped through several villages of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh after local police and administration started sounding alert and asking people to evacuate the villages. The under-construction dam on Karam river in Dhar district has developed massive cracks in its retaining wall and water started seeping through it since Friday morning.
A large portion of the earthen wall of the dam has collapsed. The dam is situated around 35 kilometres from the Dhar district headquarters. The reservoir of the dam was filling up with water for the first time this monsoon.
District Collector Pankaj Jain said that the seepage of water from the under-construction dam has increased, but the reservoir is being emptied through a temporary canal. The district administration has ordered evacuating eleven villages in downstream of the dam as nearly 40,000 people are under imminent danger if it rains further.
The local administration has the people to leave their houses immediately and reach safer places.
A bridge on Agra-Mumbai National Highway-3 (AB Road) also falls in the way of the river where heavy traffic jam was reported. The local administration has also deployed a team to control the traffic on the highway. The local administration is also in touch with the Army seeking help with the relief and rescue operations.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Rajora informed in Bhopal that two helicopters of Air Force and one company of Army are on alert. The reservoir is being emptied through making a temporary canal. Meanwhile, repair work continues at a faster pace, a team of experts from Bhopal reached to inspect the dam.
The dam was recently built on the Karam river between Bharudpura and Kothida in Dhar district.
The construction of the dam is going on for the past four years with an investment of Rs 304.44 crore. Once the dam is fully constructed, 10,500 hectares of land will be irrigated in 52 villages.