Floods threaten Mid-Manair Dam in Karimnagar

Hyderabad: The Mid-Manair Dam, an under construction project in Karimnagar district, suffered huge damage on Sunday as unexpected heavy floods caused overflow on the concrete spillway and earthen bund of the structure, causing breach-like conditions.

The dam, which can store 25 TMC ft of water between Upper Manair and Lower Manair dams in Karimnagar district, is a crucial part of the scheme to divert water for the Pranahita-Kaleswaram project and the Hyderabad city Godavari drinking water supply scheme.

The project was taken up during the previous Congress rule. The TRS government speeded up work by splitting the spill way and non-spill way works and changing the contractors with a view to completing the construction by 2018.

Heavy rains coupled with flood water from three rivulets and releases from the Sriramsagar flood flow canal for the last two days, resulted in heavy floods reaching the project site. The water flowed over the concrete spill way and the earthen bund, causing heavy erosion.

Water flowing down to Manair river was posing a threat to Manuwada, Mallapuram, Kondarupaka, Kotturu and Boinapally villages where locals have been told to vacate.

Irrigation department officials immediately stopped releases from the flood flow canal.

“Unless flood recedes, we cannot at this stage do anything, we have stopped releases from flood flow canal already,” the irrigation minister told this newspaper.