VIJAYAWADA: The water levels at the Prakasam Barrage have been steadily declining as the floodwaters from the upper catchment area recede. In the past 24 hours, the flood has reduced from a staggering 2.60 lakh cusecs to 1.06 lakh cusecs, providing much-needed relief to the region.
To manage the surplus water downstream, the Irrigation Department officials acted swiftly, releasing 1.06 lakh cusecs of water by lifting all 70 crest gates on Saturday. Out of these, 10 gates were raised to a height of three feet, while the remaining 60 gates were lifted to a height of two feet.
Meanwhile, the Munnereu tributary flood is also on the decline. With the Prakasam Barrage crest level maintained at 12 feet, the water supply to the canals has been halted for now.
The situation was further alleviated as the floodwater from Kattaleru, Wyra, and Paleru in the upper catchment areas also receded, resulting in the discharge of approximately 25,000 cusecs of water from the Munneru. As a result, the inflow of floodwater to the Prakasam Barrage has been gradually decreasing.