Ramgarh: National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has directed the Patratu dam authorities and state govt to set up a Dam Safety Unit (DSU) after an inspection found that the dam’s electric gate operation system had been defunct for years, forcing officials to open the gates manually during periods of high inflow.A five-member NDSA team, under the Union ministry of Jal Shakti, inspected Patratu dam on Nalkari river a few days ago. The team examined the spillway, gates and critical infrastructure and found that the electrical connection to the four-motor gate operating system had not been restored. As a result, all eight gates continue to be operated manually, sources said.The team sought technical documents, including dam maps and operational details, and reviewed the existing safety mechanisms with officials of PTPS Residual Assets. It also directed the authorities to conduct mandatory pre-monsoon and post-monsoon inspections in accordance with dam safety regulations.The dam is crucial to the region. It supplies water to the NTPC-led Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (PVUNL) thermal power project and is a major source of drinking water for Ramgarh district. The reservoir also houses Patratu Lake Resort, a popular tourist destination.Construction of the dam began in the 1960s and was completed in 1971. It was built to support power generation at the then Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) and supply water to Central Coalfields Limited and Ramgarh Cantonment.S K Panda, administrator of PTPS Residual Assets, on Wednesday, said, “The gates are opened manually only when water levels rise during the monsoon, and all prescribed safety precautions are followed.”Panda added that the technical aspects and operational procedures were explained to the NDSA team.While several PTPS assets were transferred to PVUNL, the Patratu dam remains under the ownership of state govt.
