HYDERABAD: With heavy rains in the upstream of the catchment areas of Himayatsagar, two floodgates were lifted on Tuesday afternoon by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB). A few more floodgates are likely to be lifted as inflows to the reservoir remained steady.
Rains have been lashing the city and its surrounding areas for the last few days, resulting in heavy inflows to the reservoir. With the lifting of floodgates of Himayatsagar reservoirs up to two feet in height, more water discharge is likely into the downstream of the River Musi. As additional inflows are likely, water through floodgates is being released gradually.
The HMWS&SB alerted the district administration of Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts along with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and police to shift people living in houses along the course of River Musi. The Water Board officials are closely monitoring the water levels at Himayatsagar in the light of rains in the catchment areas, and more gates will be opened depending upon the inflows from the upstream areas, officials said.
Floodgates of Himayatsagar were opened last month in view of heavy rains that lashed the city. Himayatsagar has a total of 17 floodgates while Osmansagar has 15 floodgates. While Osmansagar, popularly known as Gandipet, is also receiving good inflows from the catchment areas, no floodgates have been lifted, but it’s likely to be lifted soon.The full tank level (FTL) of Himayatsagar is 1763.50 feet with a capacity of 2.968 tmcft.