HYDERABAD: THE Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rains across Telangana for the next 24 hours even as officials are preparing to lift spillway gates of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) on Friday with inflows increasing into its reservoir. With rains lashing the State in the last few days and more rains forecast in the coming days, this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi is likely to be a damp affair. With 10 gates of Srisailam Dam having been lifted, the outflow at the project was 3,45,899 cusecs which is reaching NSP, filling up the reservoir fast. The inflows into Srisailam on Thursday evening were 4,17,582 cusecs.
The inflows and outflows from Almatti were recorded at 2,69,013 cusecs and 2.5 lakh cusecs respectively. The outflows from Narayanpur dam were 2,73,695 cusecs. The inflows to Jurala were 3,45,000 cusecs and outflows 3,52,221 cusecs. In Godavari basin, Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) was filled to two-thirds of its capacity. As against its full storage capacity of 90.31 tmcft, SRSP’s current storage is 68.43 tmcft. On Thursday, widespread rains continued across the State. While most parts of the State received light to moderate showers, heavy rains were recorded at a couple of places in Mulugu district. While Venkatapuram in the district received 90mm rainfall by Thursday night, the overflowing Jampanna Vagu resulted in caving in of a bridge connecting three villages of Dodla, Mallyala and Chinaboinapalle in Eturunagaram mandal and marooned them.
IN Bhadrachalam, another district which has faced the wrath of heavy rains, the water level in Godavari river on Thursday increased above the second danger level of 48 feet again due to rains in the catchment areas of the river upstream. It has been forecast that it will reach the third danger level of 53 feet sooner than later, according to the CWC. People in the district, who were relieved after water in Godavari began receding after reaching 61.6 feet two days ago, are distraught again. The district administration is monitoring the water level regularly and has kept manpower and infrastructure ready for any eventuality.
It also started flood control rooms in Bhadrachalam and Kothagudem. Due to heavy rains in the catchment areas, even the Kinnersani and Taliperu reservoirs are overflowing in the district. The officials concerned lifted 25 gates of Taliperu project and 12 gates of the Kinnersani project, releasing 1.50 lakh cusecs and 70,000 cusecs of water respectively. The IMD has forecast heavy rains for Friday at isolated places in Adilabad, Asifabad, Nizamabad, Nirmal, Kamareddy, Jagitial, Sircilla, Mancherial, Peddapalli, Karimnagar, Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Warangal, Mahabubabad, Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet and Jangaon districts.
