Surge in inflows at Telangana’s Jurala project as upper catchment areas of Krishna basin receive heavy rainfall

Concerns rise over potential disruptions to much-anticipated repair work at downstream Srisailam project

Hyderabad: Torrential rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Krishna river basin, coupled with substantial discharges from upstream dams in Karnataka, has led to an overnight surge in inflows at the Priyadarshini Jurala Project.

Inflows, currently at 40,000 cusecs, are expected to rise to 1,00,000 cusecs by Friday. Dam officials are busy opening spillway gates, an exercise to be completed by Thursday night to maintain a safe flood cushion.

---

This development has raised concerns about potential disruptions to the much-anticipated repair work at the downstream Srisailam Project, while downstream pockets along the Krishna river have been placed on high alert. Heavy and incessant rainfall across the upper catchment areas in Maharashtra and Karnataka, particularly in regions such as Mahabaleshwar and Koyna, has swelled the Krishna river and its tributaries.

Upstream reservoirs, including Almatti and Narayanpur dams, are releasing significant volumes of water downstream, contributing to the rising inflows at Jurala dam.

According to irrigation officials, the inflows are expected to increase dramatically overnight, calling for special measures to manage the floodwater. To accommodate the anticipated surge and ensure the dam’s safety, the Jurala project authorities have opened several spillway gates as a precautionary measure.

“We are closely monitoring the inflows, which are expected to reach 1,00,000 cusecs by tomorrow (Friday). The spillway gates have been opened to maintain a sufficient flood cushion,” said officials.
The outflow from Jurala will be adjusted — either increased or decreased — based on the actual inflows realised in the coming hours.

Disruption to Srisailam project repairs
The sudden influx of water is likely to disrupt ongoing and planned repair work at the Srisailam project, a common reservoir of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh downstream of Jurala. The Srisailam dam, which serves as a lifeline for irrigation, drinking water and hydropower generation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, has been awaiting essential maintenance to address structural and operational concerns. The repair work, which requires controlled water levels and minimal inflows, is now at risk due to the increased flood flow from Jurala.

Irrigation officials expressed concern that the high inflows could delay the repair schedule. “The Srisailam Project was gearing up for critical repairs, but the current flood situation may force us to postpone these activities to prioritise flood management,” a senior official from the Srisailam Project stated. The repairs are vital to ensuring the long-term safety and efficiency of the dam, which has a gross storage capacity of 215.8 TMC and supports millions of farmers and residents in the region.

The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with officials of all the riparian States.