Nizamabad: The Maharashtra government has decided to close the gates of the Babli project on the Godavari on October 29, in line with a Supreme Court order. The gates will reopen on July 1. As a result, inflows into Sriramsagar project will be stopped.
SRSP is the lifeline for north Telangana and has about 7.57 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) of water. Factoring in the dead storage level and evaporation losses, the project will not be able to meet the drinking water needs of Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts.
SRSP engineers will reach Dharmabad in Nanded district in Maharashtra on Thursday. The gates will be closed in the presence of Central Water Commission officials and irrigation officials of both states. Usually, inflows in the Godavari during the winter are rare.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, SRSP executive engineer P. Rama Rao said there was no hope of receiving inflows from Maharashtra. Any rain caused by a cyclone could bring water through the Godavari into the SRSP project, he said. “We are planning to use the available water with utmost care during the summer,” he added.
