KURNOOL: The Srisailam Reservoir crossed the significant 100 TMC storage mark on Tuesday, bringing renewed hope to lakhs of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who depend on its waters for irrigation during the Kharif season.
The reservoir’s gross storage reached 101.9 TMC by 9 a.m of Tuesday and rose further to 108.4 TMC by 6 p.m. Water level stood at 262.375 metres (860.80 feet) against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 269.750 metres (885 feet).
By Tuesday evening, the project was receiving 2,48,148 cusecs of floodwater, entirely through the Jurala Project.
Speaking with the TNIE, Srisailam Reservoir Superintendent Engineer Venugopal Reddy said the reservoir has been receiving an average of 12 TMC of floodwater every day over the past several days.
“If the present inflow trend continues, the reservoir is likely to reach full capacity within the next few days.
Once the storage crosses 200 TMC, the Water Resources department will seek the State government’s permission before releasing water downstream, he said.
The heavy inflows are the result of widespread rainfall across the upper Krishna basin in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The upstream Jurala Project recorded an inflow of 1.80 lakh cusecs and released 1.77 lakh cusecs, including 1.40 lakh cusecs through 27 spillway gates, while the remaining water was discharged through power generation.
Further upstream, the Narayanpur Dam was receiving 1.50 lakh cusecs and releasing 1.46 lakh cusecs through 29 spillway gates and the power channel. The reservoir there was storing 29.40 TMC, or 88.27 per cent of its gross capacity.
Although no water is currently being released through the Srisailam spillway and hydropower generation remains suspended, irrigation officials are closely monitoring the rising inflows.
The steady increase in storage has boosted confidence among farmers across the ayacut, many of whom are now preparing to begin cultivation after uncertainty during the early phase of the southwest monsoon.
With abundant inflows expected to continue, water resources authorities are optimistic that the reservoir will soon attain a comfortable storage level in the coming days.
