Guntur: Pulichintala to get 4.5 lakh cusecs of floodwater

Guntur: Pulichintala project is to receive 4.5-lakh cusecs of floodwater in the next two-days as inflows increase to the Nagarjunasagar project. According to sources in Irrigation department, 4.5 lakh causes of floodwater was released from Srisailam reservoir on Saturday downstream. Same water is expected to reach Pulichintala in the next two days.

Due to incessant rains in the last two days in the catchment areas of Pulichintala project, all the steams are overflowing swelling inflows into the project. Taking this into consideration, irrigation officials lifted six crest gates of the project on Saturday released floodwater to Prakasam barrage.

Water storage at Prakasam barrage on Saturday was 3.4 tmc ft as against the full capacity of 3.7 tmc ft. Inflows into barrage are 218.939 cusecs and officials are releasing 208.868 cusecs into the sea.

Guntur irrigation superintendenting engineer M Babu Rao said if more than 8 lakh cusecs water is released from the Pulichintala project, low-lying areas in Repalle, Bhattiprolu, and island village will be submerged. He said currently there is no flood threat even if discharge touches 5 lakh cusecs.