Dantiwada reservoir operation -post flood analysis with reference to september 1992 flood

Formulation of a suitable reservoir operation policy is of significant importance. It has direct bearing not only on the performance of the dam including its safety but on safety of downstream area too. It plays a vital role for a project situated in semi-arid region where rainfall pattern is erratic in nature and uneven in distribution and vulnerable to abnormal floods towards the end ofmonsoon season leading to the failure in past. It becomes of paramount importance when the downstream channel carrying capacity of the river is low and regional topography becoming flat further downstream leading to wide spread of water. Dantiwada Reservoir Project in Cujarat is one such project facing all these critical problems. During September 1992, the project experienced a heavy flood when it was practically full to FRL leading to heavy releases from the reservoir above FRL which created a havoc in downstream low lying areas. The present paper deals with the post-flood analysis to review the operation guidelines keeping in view the techniques in vogue. It also suggests some suitable measures to be taken up to moderate such grave situation in future.