Officials breach Musi project bund to control heavy inflow of water

The decision to breach the bund was taken after inflows increased to 1.83 lakh cusecs in the early hours of Wednesday.

Nalgonda: In an unprecedented move, irrigation officials have breached the bund of Musi project near Rudhrapuram in a bid to save the medium irrigation project in Suryapet district. The authorities pressed into service earth moving equipment to effect the breach, as the inflows into the project continued unabated due to incessant rains for the last three days. Thirteen crest gates of the project were already lifted upto 20 feet to let out abouit 1.58 lakh cusecs.

The decision to breach the bund was taken after inflows increased to 1.83 lakh cusecs in the early hours of Wednesday, while the outflow was only 1.58 lakh cusecs through the 13 gates. Keeping in mind the further increase in the inflows, the decision to breach the bund at Rudhrapuram was taken, an official explained. The bund had instantly reduced the water pressure on the project gates.

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With the intention breaching of the project bund, flood waters reached Tekumatla in Kethepally mandal in the district. While Rudhrapuram where the breach was ordered is in Suryapet district, the Musi gates are in Nalgonda district.

Suryapet district Collector T Vinjay Krishna Reddy was visited the place where the bund was breached using a poclain at Rudrapuram and was monitoring the situation with the irrigation department officials. His counterpart in Nalgonda district, Prashant Jeevan Patil was also at the Musi project to take stock of the situation. He said officials were kept on alert to move to 17 villages, which are located in low lying areas to take up required measures, if flood water reached them. He asked people not go near to Musi river for the next two days.

The water being let out through the breach at Rudhrapuram would again flow into the Musi river near Tekumatla by passing through agricultural fields. The officials also alerted the residents of several villages, which were located down area of the project.

Nearly 10 lorries washed away in Musi Nearly ten lorries, which were parked near Musi river at Valigonda for transportation of paddy, were washed away in the floods. The road connection between villages was disrupted at several places in erstwhile Nalgonda district due to overflowing of the irrigation tanks and water steam flowing  onto the roads.

The road connection between Arvepally and Thungathurthy in Suryapet district was disrupted due to overflow of Rudhrama Devi Cheruvi and water road submerged in the water. Vehicles were not being allowed on Suryapet-Miryalaguda road as Musi water was flowing onto the bridge at  Bheemaram village.

Gonadal: In the 57 years of history of Musi project located at Bopparam village of Kathepally mandal, its bund was first time breached by the officials of irrigation department to save the project in view of record levels of water inflow to the project due to heavy rains.

Construction of the medium irrigation Musi project across river commenced in 1954 and was completed in 1963 at a cost of Rs1.18 core to provide irrigation facility to 40,000 acres in Nakrekal, Kethepally and  Suryapet mandals in erstwhile Nalgonda district. The gross storage capacity of the project is 4.46 TMCs of water and Full Reservoir Level (FRL) is 645 feet.

The State government has taken up modernization of Musi project with Rs 65 crore in 2017 and installed new crest and regulatory gates in place of rusted ones in addition to strengthening the bund. After fixing of the new crest gates to cap the leakages, 40,000 of ayacut under Musi project has been getting irrigation facility for two crops for the last two years. Before formation of Telangana State, storing water in the project was a mirage due to leakages to the gates and the ayacut farmers were also not benefited from it.

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