Reduced rainfall cuts flood inflows into key Telangana projects; gates closed

Flood inflows into major irrigation projects in Telangana, including Jurala, Srisailam and Yellampalli, have declined due to reduced rainfall in upstream Karnataka. Officials have closed gates, prioritising drinking water over irrigation, while power generation continues.

Jogulamba Gadwal: After raising hopes among farmers for a few days, flood inflows into some key irrigation projects in the State declined on Sunday, prompting officials to close the gates.

Officials of the Jurala project closed the gates following a decline in inflows after releasing substantial quantities of water downstream over the past few days.

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Officials said inflows from the Almatti and Narayanpur dams had declined following a reduction in rainfall in the upstream areas of Karnataka. Inflows into Jurala currently stand at 80,000 cusecs, while 39,608 cusecs are being released downstream. Power generation continues through all six units using the released water.

Project officials said water would not be released for irrigation following the decline in inflows. The project provides irrigation to nearly 1.03 lakh acres through its left and right canals. Officials said releasing water for agriculture would affect drinking water availability during the next season. The full reservoir level of the project is 318.51 metres, against the current level of 317.51 metres. Its full storage capacity is 9.65 TMC, while the current storage is 7.66 TMC.

With floodwaters receding, officials closed the gates, while power generation continues. The reduction in releases from Jurala is also expected to result in a decline in inflows into the Srisailam project.

Inflows into Srisailam have reduced considerably since Saturday evening. The water level currently stands at 878 feet, against the full reservoir level of 885 feet. The project has a full storage capacity of 215 tmcft and currently holds 178 tmcft.

A similar situation was reported at the Yellampally project. Inflows have declined since Saturday night, with the current storage standing at 16 tmcft against its full capacity of 20.17 tmcft. Officials have closed the gates.