VIJAYAWADA/KURNOOL: In next couple of days, water is likely to be released into Telugu Ganga and Pothireddypadu head regulators from Srisailam Project, for taking care of the drinking water and irrigation needs of Rayalaseema districts. In the last couple of days, Srisailam project has been witnessing copious inflows from both Sunkesula (Tungabhadra) and Jurala (Krishna) in Telangana. On Sunday at 8 pm, the water levels in Srisailam stood at 78.75 tmcft (849.4 feet against FRL of 885 feet) with inflows at 1.08 lakh cusecs.
The outflows from Sunkesula is around 8,000 cusecs while it is over 1 lakh cusecs from Jurala. With meteorology department officials expecting more rains in catchment areas of Srisailam in Kurnool-Karnataka border, the irrigation department officials expect the inflows to be steady between 40,000 cusecs to 50,000 cuses. “At the given rate of inflows, we are expecting the water levels to cross 860 feet mark in next couple of days. That is, water will be released for Telugu Ganga project and Pothireddypadu head regulator,” explained a higher official of irrigation department. There are several thousands of acres of land in both Kurnool and Rayalseema that are being irrigated under HNSS aykut, but the priority would be to fill up several tanks so as to address the drinking water needs.
Already, water is being released at the discharge rate of over 1000 cusecs into HNSS and the water is expected to arrive in Anantapur district by Monday evening. For the next six months, drinking water problems for Kurnool district and more than half of Anantapur districts will be taken care off, the officials said.
However, the decision as to the release of water downstream to Nagarjunasagar and production of hydel power is yet to be taken. Despite copious inflows into Srisailam projects, Nagarjunasagar water levels have not improved much and are still at 500.9 feet (116.73 tmcft) only. However, officials are not worried about water needs of Krishna delta spread over four districts - Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari with 13 lakh aykut. Officials said water has been released to Krishna delta as Godavari water from Pattiseema has been steady. With flood levels still continuing in Godavari river, the officials expect to draw water from Pattiseema till November.
CM writes to PM
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention in release of at least 25 tmcft of water from Maharashtra and Karnataka into Krishna River for replenishing the water levels in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar. There are several projects in Rayalaseema which are dependent on Srisailam. It is learnt, he has also written letter to chief ministers of both Karnataka and Maharashtra seeking their cooperation in that regard. Naidu requested the Prime Minister to see that Maharashtra temporarily stop power production at Koyna dam and release water downstream to Karnataka so it can reach projects in Andhra Pradesh. Projects in both upper riparian states registering optimum water levels was also taken to the notice of the Prime Minister, sources added.
Water levels in Srisailam
78.75 tmcft Water levels as on September 17,
8 pm
24.43 tmcft - water levels as on September 2,
4 pm
1,08,590 cusecs - Inflows into the project as on September 17
at 8 pm