Hyderabad: Authorities opened floodgates at multiple reservoirs in the Godavari and Krishna basins on Monday as rising water levels triggered heavy outflows across Telangana.
At the Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP) on the Godavari, officials lifted gates for the first time this season. The reservoir held 73.749 TMC by evening against its full capacity of 90 TMC. They discharged 2,26,867 cusecs through 39 gates toward Ellampalli, Sundilla, and Annaram barrages, eventually reaching Medigadda.
Godavari, Krishna projects release water as levels rise
At Sripada Ellampalli in Peddapalli district, inflows surged to 1.17 lakh cusecs, pushing the water level to 309.63 meters. Authorities responded by opening 32 gates to release 2.25 lakh cusecs toward Sundilla. From there, water was pumped to Mid Manair via the Nandi and Gayatri pump houses. Officials confirmed that once levels touch 311.14 meters, lifting to Annapurna Sagar will begin.
However, the Medigadda pump house remained inactive due to damaged piers, halting lifting operations from Kannepalli. Nizamsagar in Kamareddy district received 1,00,600 cusecs, prompting the opening of 15 gates. Meanwhile, Kaulas Nala handled 29,444 cusecs and released water through five open gates into the Manjeera.
In the Krishna basin, Karnataka released floodwaters downstream to Narayanapur, leading to high inflows at Jurala, Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Pulichintala, and Prakasam barrage. Srisailam touched 197 TMC in storage. Ten gates were lifted 12 feet, releasing 1,88,543 cusecs to Nagarjunasagar. Additionally, Jurala released 2,38,237 cusecs, Sunkesula sent 87,158, and Handri added 3,750 cusecs. In total, 3,04,690 cusecs flowed through the powerhouses and spillway.