Nagarjunasagar Crest Gates To Be Opened At 10 am Today

Nalgonda: In view of the continuing high inflows, officials of the Nagarjunasagar Project have decided to lift a few crest gates at 10 am on Tuesday.

Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, and Nalgonda in-charge minister Adluri Laxman (minister for SC development) will be present during the crest gate operation of the major irrigation project.

As of 3 pm on Monday, the water level in the reservoir stood at 584.40 feet, just six feet below the Full Tank Level (FTL) of 590 feet. The current water storage is 295.7 TMC ft, against the full reservoir capacity of 312 TMC ft. About 2,684 cusecs of water are being released through the right canal, 4,746 cusecs through the left canal, and 1,800 cusecs through the AMRP canal. The realised inflow into the project is recorded at 1,47,195 cusecs, while the total outflow stands at 38,762 cusecs.

With surplus water of approximately 50,000 cusecs being discharged downstream, dam authorities have issued flood warnings to low-lying areas in the vicinity.

Superintending engineer of the irrigation circle (Hill Colony), B.V. Mallikarjuna Rao, said heavy inflows from the Srisailam Project are rapidly raising the water level at Nagarjunasagar, which is likely to reach Full Reservoir Level at any time. Therefore, the radial crest gates will be opened on Tuesday to release excess water downstream.

He advised all concerned officials to remain on alert and take necessary precautionary measures to protect life, property, and infrastructure in the downstream areas.

In light of previous incidents, particularly when Krishna water entered the Sri Lakshminarsimha Swamy temple at Mattapally, special arrangements, including the deployment of pump sets, have been made as a precaution.