VIJAYAWADA: Copious inflows continue into the Srisailam project and the outflows from the project crossed 3 lakh mark on Tuesday evening. However, the water flows started decreasing after one hour. The dam officials say the fluctuation would continue for another three days and there will not be any large decrease in the inflows. At 8 pm on Monday, the inflows crossed 2 lakh mark and since then, the inflows into the project remained constantly above that mark. At 10 pm on Monday, the total inflows into the project were at the discharge rate of 2,76,166 cusecs.
They decreased by some 20,000 cusecs by Tuesday morning and the outflows were maintained at the discharge rate of 2,81,743 cusecs. Seven gates opened to the height of 10 feet, letting water downstream through the spillway at the discharge rate of 1,93,634 cusecs. At 3 pm, another crest gate was opened and water was released at a discharge rate of 2,20,928 cusecs through the spillway. The total outflows from the project at that time were 3,07,812 cusecs.
However, the inflows decreased after an hour and the inflows at 5:15 pm were at the discharge rate of 2,15,595 cusecs. Subsequently, two crest gates were closed and the outflows also got decreased. At that time total outflows were at the discharge rate of 2,53,048 cusecs with outflows through the spillway at the discharge rate of 1,65,144 cusecs.
At 8 pm on Tuesday, the water levels in Srisailam project stood at 883.9 feet with a volume of 209.59 TMC. The inflows were at a discharge rate of 2,25,902 cusecs and the outflows were at the discharge rate of 2,53,420 cusecs. “We are expecting the inflows to continue and dependent on the inflows, we will decide whether to open more gates or not. As the outflows discharge rate is pretty high, we have put the villages on both banks of the river downstream of the project on alert,” A Mallikarjuna Reddy, Srisailam Dam Superintending Engineer said.
Meanwhile, water levels in Nagarjuna Sagar project are steadily increasing and the officials expect that if the inflows continue at this rate, it will take another week to 10 days for the project to reach its FRL. They said since last three days, at an average discharge rate of 1.8 lakh cusecs, inflows are being received into the project.
They said with regard to release of water for coming days, particularly Rabi season, the decision has to be taken by both the State Government in consultation with Krishna River Management Board.
With Kharif yielding not much, farmers are having high hopes on Rabi and are expecting the governments of both the states to take a decision on release of water for Rabi at the earliest.
SW monsoon withdrawal begins, heavy rain warning stays as depression brews over Bay of Bengal
Visakhapatnam: Even as a deep depression brewing over the central and southern Bay of Bengal and the weathermen have issued heavy rain warning for the state in the next 48 hours, Tuesday witnessed a sporadic precipitation in Rayalaseema while no major rainfall was recorded in coastal AP, baring Nellore district.
The south-west monsoon has withdrawn from some parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Tuesday,” IMD officials said. Weathermen have warned of heavy rain at isolated places over coastal AP. “Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning is very likely to occur at isolated places in all the districts of coastal AP and heavy rain very likely to occur at isolated places in Chittoor district of Rayalaseema in the next 24 hours,” said an IMD official.