It's Year of Surplus Water for Telangana

Hyderabad: The 2020 would be the 'Surplus Water Year' for Telangana. While water levels in the major projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers are set to reach full reservoir levels (FRL) in next couple of days, all medium irrigation projects in the Godavari and Krishna basins are brimming with water.

Perhaps for the first time in the recent decades, all medium projects received water to their full capacity in Telangana. Nearly 20,000 water bodies have been revived under the Mission Kakatiya and were overflowing, according to an official.

Several medium projects which reported dead storage or moderate flows in the previous years were brimming with heavy inflows. In Krishna basin - Dindi, Asifnahar, Kotipallyvagu, Pakala Lake, Lanka Sagar and Bayyaram tank were receiving heavy inflows. These medium irrigation schemes are meant to stabilise the ayacut and provide irrigation water during kharif and rabi seasons in the dryland areas which are not covered under major irrigation schemes in the Krishna basin.

All the 28 medium irrigation projects under the Godavari basin were overflowing. The famous Laknavaram lake, Ramappa lake, Palemvagu, Upper Manair, Taliperu, Kinnerasani, Sri Komarambheem project, Peddavagu, Nallavagu and Shanigram medium projects were filled at full reservoir levels, according to the official. Water has been discharged from these projects to the local water bodies and all safety measures were taken to prevent breaches at the project sites. All field level officials have been deployed to monitor water levels and also the safety of the constructions.

Among major projects on Krishna, water levels in Jurala has reached 1,044 feet as against 1,045 FRL. With the constant heavy inflows, water levels in Srisialam touched 870 feet. Officials are expecting the FRL of 885 feet will be registered in the major dam in 72 hours. Nagarjuna Sagar project was also receiving copious inflows registering 567 feet level as against the capacity of 590 FRL.

Major projects on Godavari like Nizam Sagar, Sriram Sagar, Singur, Sripada Yellampally and Lower Manair dam water levels would also reach FR levels. Officials were discharging water from these projects in view of the threat of submergence of surrounding areas. With heavy inflows in Godavari, main pump houses were started functioning to lift water to the main reservoirs.