Pocharam project withstood historic floods, says Telangana minister Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday said the Pocharam project withstood unprecedented flood inflows, calling it a moment of pride for Telangana’s irrigation department.

After a review meeting, the minister said, “In the history of this project, such massive floods were never witnessed. Pocharam dam has shown its strength and resilience. Although its designed capacity is 70,000 cusecs, it successfully withstood inflows of up to 1.82 lakh cusecs yesterday. This is a proud and emotional moment and a huge relief to our department.”

Pocharam dam withstands historic flood inflows

Earlier, Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao reviewed the situation with collectors and Superintendents of Police from Medak, Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Nirmal, and Rajanna Sircilla. Officials said heavy rains lashed the region, but timely administrative action reduced the impact.

Authorities reported that inflows into Pocharam reservoir have now reduced, taking the project out of immediate danger. However, the government instructed all departments to stay alert, as further rainfall is expected in parts of Telangana over the next 24 hours.

Rescue teams evacuated residents of Roop Singh Tanda and Wadi to relief shelters. They also shifted people from other low-lying and submerged areas to rehabilitation centres. The minister directed officials to provide evacuees with food, drinking water, and basic facilities at the camps.

He said the government’s top priority is to protect lives, minimise damage, and continue close monitoring of reservoir levels.