4 Srisailam crest gates opened, 1Lakh cusecs flow towards Nagarjunasagar dam

KURNOOL: Water gushed out of Srisailam dam for the first time this season following a couple of weeks of heavy rain further easing fears of shortage of drinking water.

AP water minister P. Anil Kumar lifted four radial crest gates of the dam, allowing 1 lakh cusecs of water to flow towards Nagarjunasagar dam, which is all but empty.

Srisailam is receiving 3.2 lakh cusecs of water from dams in Karnataka, which has been affected by severe flooding in the Krishna, via the Jurala project.

The inflow is expected to increase further as the Jurala project upstream is releasing 4.91 lakh cusecs.

The dam had water standing at 880.90 feet against the full reservoir level of 885 ft. It holds 192.97 tmc ft of water against its storage capacity of 215 tmc ft.

The Srisailam dam released 2,09,471 cusecs, the water being used for power generation and channeled to the Pothireddypadu head regulator, Kalwakurhi lift project, Malyala Handri Neeva canal and Muchumarri KC Canal.
A holiday crowd turned up to see the water release. Ms Kavitha, a software employee, said, “It is marvellous, unbelievable and mindblowing”. She said the view of water falling from a height and rising again was better than any graphics.

Nithya, a Class X student from Kurnool, said Srisailam had always mesmerised her. “There is something magical about it, she said. She had come with her parents to participate in Varalakshmi Vratham at the Bramaramba Mallikarjuna temple.