KURNOOL/GUNTUR : Kurnool city and several villages have been put on alert with floods in Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers increasing hour after hour. Inflows in the Tungabhadra reached Sunkesula Barrage on Monday morning and Srisailam reservoir by evening. By 6 pm on Monday, the total inflows into Srisailam reservoir stood at 10.29 lakh cusecs, including 2,08,363 cusecs received from Sunkesula and 8,61,498 cusecs from Jurala.
With increased inflows from both the rivers, Srisailam project authorities lifted 10 crest gates to a height of 42 feet to allow discharge of floodwater. The total outflows were at 8,48,673 cusecs. According to officials, a declining flood trend was noticed, though they were expecting five to six lakh cusecs of inflows to continue for another five days.
As a precautionary measure, Kurnool district administration declared a two-day holiday for schools located in low-lying areas along the course of Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers in the district. The schools at Kowthalam, Kosigi, Mantralayam, C Belagal, Kurnool, Nandikotkur, Pagidyala and Kothapalli mandals in the district will remain closed on August 13 and 14.
Meanwhile, for the first time after a decade, all the 26 crest gates of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) were lifted on Monday with a deluge of water kept reaching the reservoir from Srisailam. Kurnool city and several villages have been put on alert with floods in Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers increasing hour after hour.
In view of increasing inflows into Pulichintala, officials in Guntur district, started evacuating people living in low-lying areas upstream of the project. People in Dachepalli, Bellamkonda, Krosuru, Achempeta, Amaravati mandals in Guntur district being evacuated.