Drying up Srisailam unlikely to get inflows in next one month

Atmakuru: Srisailam project dam has almost dried because of poor inflows from the upstream Almatti and Narayanapur projects.

As there is no water in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar projects, minor irrigation projects on River Krishna in the Telugu states are starving.

Last year, water released from the upper riparian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra sustained the inflows into Srisailam project.

But this year, the government of Karnataka is diverting excess flood water from Almatti and Narayanapur projects to ponds and tanks. It released some quantity of water to Narayanapur with Jurala project receiving zero inflows. The Srisailam reservoir, which is lower to Jurala project, recently released two tmc ft to Nagarjunasagar and is currently dried.

Meanwhile, crops under the ayacut of SRBC, Telugu Ganga, K-C canal, Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari project and Mucchumarri are withering away. Inflows into Srisailam project are not in sight at least in the next one month. Areas in Rayalaseema will get irrigation water only if the water level in the project is at 854ft.

On July 30 last year, water level in the project was at 805ft (with storage of 31.6 tmc ft) as against 777.80 on July 30 this year (with storage of 19.560 tmc ft).

So far, Almatti dam received 18 tmc ft of inflows and the Narayanapur 3 tmc ft. Now the inflows stand reduced. Unless there are heavy rains in Karnataka, inflows from there to Srisailam are ruled out. If the same situation were to continue in August, agricultural crisis seems inevitable in the Telugu states.