Telangana: Flood flows into Jurala and Sunkesula on the rise

With the flood flow on the rise from the upper reaches of Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, under the influence of torrential rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra, the Jurala project in the State has been receiving heavy inflows

Hyderabad: Torrential rains in the upstream States have triggered significant flooding in Mahabubnagar district, with the Priyadarshini Jurala Project and Sunkesula Barrage grappling with rising water levels.

With the flood flow on the rise from the upper reaches of Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, under the influence of torrential rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra, the Jurala project in the State has been receiving heavy inflows. The project is currently receiving close to one lakh cusecs, a flood volume that could help add by nine TMCs of water a day.

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As many as 12 gates of Jurala have been lifted letting off the flood flows. The outflow stands at 88,835 cusecs as against an inflow of 97,000 cusecs.

The reservoir’s water level is at 317.550 metres, just below its full reservoir level (FRL) of 318.516 metres. With a total storage capacity of 9.657 TMC, the project currently holds 7.740 TMC of water. Amid the flood management efforts, four units of the Jurala Hydroelectric Project are generating 156 megawatts of electricity.

Further downstream, in Jogulamba Gadwal district, the Sunkesula barrage on the Tungabhadra is also the first flood inflow for the season. The barrage is receiving 8,983 cusecs of water from upstream sources, with an equal outflow of 8,983 cusecs as project authorities have lifted two gates to release floodwater into the Tungabhadra River. The current water level at Sunkesula is 291.80 metres (957.35 feet), with a storage capacity of 1.235 TMC.

The heavy rainfall in upstream States, particularly Karnataka, has led to a rare flood event for May, with the Jurala Project witnessing such high inflows for the first time in 18 years during this month. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation, and flood alerts have been issued for villages along the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers in Mahbubnagar and Kurnool districts.