Don’t Let AP Open Srisailam: Telangana

Hyderabad: The state government on Monday urged the Union jal shakti ministry to direct Andhra Pradesh to take up the required repairs to the Srisailam dam to ensure safety, and that AP be asked to not open the dam gates until the reservoir reached its full reservoir level at 885 feet. The Telangana government said water was being released through the two hydel power stations on both banks of the dam.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to perform special prayers and initiate the opening of some of the 12 crest gates on Tuesday morning at the dam, where the water level is rising.

The Telangana government, in its letter, is learnt to have pointed out that it had repeatedly taken to its notice the state of disrepair at the Srisailam dam and had written multiple letters on this matter. The letter is learnt to have pointed out that though the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) told the AP government that immediate repairs to the dam, especially to the plunge pool, must be taken up before the onset of this monsoon season, AP had not done so.

The letter also made it clear that there was no rush to open the crest gates as the reservoir was yet to reach its full level of 885 feet. As on Monday evening, the level stood just a little above 881 feet, and the reservoir was receiving around 1.72 lakh cusecs, which is expected to slightly increase on Tuesday and then progressively come down to around 97,000 cusecs by July 14.

Pointing out that the two hydel stations – the right bank power house controlled by AP, and the left bank power house controlled by Telangana – were generating power and releasing water, the letter indicated that opening the gates at this point of time may not be called for. As on Monday, between the two hydel stations, were releasing some 83,500 cusecs of water.

“Nothing was done despite the NDSA’s recommendations. We asked the jal shakti ministry that it should prevail over AP to take up the repairs. And if AP is not coming forward to do so, then the Ministry should take the responsibility and take up the repairs as the NDSA had made it clear in its reports that the situation at the dam was far from satisfactory,” Telangana’s principal secretary (irrigation) Rahul Bojja said.