Pulichinchtala reservoir gets inflow of 2.94 lakh cusecs

Vijayawada: With release of floodwaters from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar, the Pulichinchtala reservoir, the last important and big reservoir in Krishna basin, received more than 2.90 lakh cusecs water on Sunday.

As per the latest information furnished by the Irrigation Department, the inflow was 2.94 lakh cusecs and the outflow was 2.29 lakh cusecs. The reservoir will reach to its full level soon.

The officials have opened eight spillway radial gates to release the floodwater. The FRL of the Pulichintala reservoir is 53.34 metres and so far the water levels reached 52.40 metres.

The released floodwaters are reaching the Prakasam barrage. By Sunday evening, 3.08 lakh cusecs of water was released from Prakasam barrage with continuous inflows from the catchment areas and from Pulichintala reservoir. Over, 10,000 cusecs of water released from canals for irrigation purposes from the Prakasam barrage.

The Krishna district administration is on high alert in the upstream and downstream areas of Prakasam barrage in view of the release of floodwaters from Pulichintala and Sagar. District Collector Md Imtiaz reviewed the flood situation with officials and informed that floodwater may affect some villages in Chandarlapadu, Nandigama and Kanchikacharla mandals of upstream of Prakasam barrage.

In the downstream of Prakasam barrage, residents of Krishna Lanka, Taraka Rama Nagar, Balaji Nagar and other areas were affected on Sunday as floodwaters entered the homes in riverbed.

District Collector Md Imtiaz visited some flood-affected areas and appealed to the residents to take shelter at the rehabilitation centres opened at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation stadium and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation schools.

Municipal Commissioner Prasanna Venkatesh visited IGMC Stadium and supervised the arrangements. He instructed the officials to maintain physical distance and Covid guidelines for the flood-affected people, who come to rehabilitation centres.

Due to fear of Covid and theft at their homes in their absence, many residents in the flood-affected areas are not willing to leave their homes. They are taking shelter in their relatives' homes and nearby areas so that they can keep an eye on their homes and belongings.

The Irrigation Department is releasing floodwater from Srisailam and Sagar for the past few days as floodwater has nearly reached to their full capacity with inflows continuing due to release of water from upper dams and heavy rains in the catchment areas.