All 15 floodgates of Osman Sagar opened after 60 years, sparks inundation

In a rare event after nearly 60 years, all 15 floodgates of Osman Sagar were opened due to heavy inflows from persistent rains. The HMWSSB, which had already issued five flood warnings in recent months, was forced to act as inflows surged past 12,000 cusecs.

Hyderabad: With heavy inflows from continuous downpours, nearly six decades later, all the 15 floodgates of Osman Sagar were opened on Saturday. Initially, the HMWSSB tried to tackle the floodwater by opening a couple of floodgates but with intense rainfall in the catchment areas, all the gates were opened.

Within the span of a couple of months, the HMWSSB issued five flood warnings for the twin reservoirs, which was unprecedented in previous years, a senior official of HMWSSB told Telangana Today.

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By Friday morning, Osman Sagar received 3,000 cusecs of inflows which increased by the afternoon and continued up to 3.30 pm. By 8 pm, the inflows were 8,500 cusecs, and the officials decided to open 12 out of 15 floodgates and continued monitoring the inflow situation.

By Saturday at 5 am, Osman Sagar inflows reached 12,600 cusecs, said the water board official, adding that they had no option but to open all 15 floodgates. Himayat Sagar also received significant inflows and 9 out of 17 floodgates were lifted.

Twin Reservoirs Water Levels at 6 pm:

Osman Sagar:
FTL: 1790.00 feet (3.900 TMC)

Present level: 1788.55 feet (3.567 TMC)
Inflows: 9000 cusecs

Outflow:9284 cusecs
11 gates opened for a 9-ft height

Himayat Sagar:

FTL: 1763.50 feet (2.970 TMC)
Present Level: 1762.55 feet (2.706 TMC)

Inflows: 7000 cusecs
Outflow: 6420 cusecs

4 gates opened for a 5-ft height