Continuous Rainfall Helps Major Reservoirs Fill Up To Brim In AP
Similarly, Nagarjuna Sagar has 283.59 tmc ft of water (90.88%) against a gross capacity of 312.05 tmc ft with an inflow of 1.02 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 15,386 cusecs.
Vijayawada:Under the influence of continuous rainfall in the last few days in both the upstream and local catchment areas of mainly the Krishna, Godavari, and Penna rivers, all major reservoirs are getting filled up with water up to the brim, while the authorities are keeping a close watch in low-lying areas downstream of the course of the rivers to evacuate the people to safety based on need in AP.
The rainfall helped AP’s major and medium reservoirs to have a current storage of 696.58 tmc ft of water (69.36%) out of a total storage capacity at FRL of 1,004.34 tmc ft against last year’s storage of 320.83 tmc ft (31.94%) as of Saturday.
Srisailam received 202.04 tmc ft of water (93.62%) against a gross capacity at FRL of 215.81 tmc ft, with an inflow of water recorded at 1.02 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 1.54 lakh cusecs to the downstream projects.
Similarly, Nagarjuna Sagar has 283.59 tmc ft of water (90.88%) against a gross capacity of 312.05 tmc ft with an inflow of 1.02 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 15,386 cusecs. Pulichintala has 21.02 tmc ft of water (45.93%) against the gross capacity of 45.77 tmc ft.
Prakasam Barrage has 2.98 tmc ft of water (97.07%) against a gross capacity of 3.07 tmc ft with an inflow of 21,648 cusecs and an outflow of 22,192 cusecs.
Somasila reservoir has 28.89 tmc ft of water (37.04% against a gross capacity of 78 tmc ft). Kandaleru reservoir has 27.45 tmc ft of water (40.34% against a gross capacity of 68.03 tmc ft). Gandikota reservoir has 13.94 tmc ft of water (51.92% against a gross capacity of 26.85 tmc ft). Velogodu balancing reservoir has 15.23 tmc ft of water (89.88%) against 16.95 tmc ft. Mylavaram reservoir has 2.23 tmc ft of water (22.34% against a gross capacity of 9.98 tmc ft).
On the other hand, AP is likely to enhance its drawal of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam through the Right Canal in the range of 2,500-3,000 cusecs for cultivation of crops in about 12 lakh acres of land in parts of AP for the Kharif season as it started to draw 500 cusecs of water from July 23 onwards. Moreover, Telangana is reportedly drawing 30,000 cusecs of water from the tail pond at Nagarjuna Sagar Dam for the generation of hydroelectric power, and that water flows into the Pulichintala project. Referring to Telangana making a hue and cry against AP for drawing 500 cusecs of water without getting permission from KRMB, AP authorities are also questioning Telangana how it could draw water without obtaining the permission from KRMB. However, AP authorities want coordination and cooperation from TG to optimise utilisation of Krishna water instead of allowing it to go to waste into the sea.
Krishna conservator R. Ravi Kiran said, “By 6.00 pm, inflows into Prakasam barrage have come down to 13,114 cusecs and outflow to 7,120 cusecs in addition to releasing 5,994 cusecs to canals. We are continuing the general flood alert downstream of the river course, as inflows may rise in the next two to three days from upstream projects.”
Godavari conservator G. Srinivas said, “At 8.00 pm, we are releasing 4.36 lakh cusecs from Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, and it may rise up to six lakh cusecs by Monday, and so far, we have not faced any issues of trouble all along the flood banks of the river on either side, and a general flood alert will continue along the river course downstream due to floods.”
