Water levels in Godavari basin reservoirs unusually low even in August

With the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme being operated partially, uncertainty looms large over the fate of Yasangi crops.

Hyderabad: Despite heavy rains all over the State, reservoirs in Godavari basin continued to be precariously low water levels. The dams that received significant inflows in July are missing out on the top up inflows. With the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme being operated partially, uncertainty looms large over the fate of Yasangi crops.

The Nizam Sagar project was the first one to release water to the Vanakalam (Kharif ayacut) this year. The inflows into the project had now come down to zero. Even the water releases to the ayacut were suspended. The project has been left with only four TMCs as against its gross storage capacity of 17.80 TMC. It had some 17 TMC of water on the same day last year.

---

The inflow into Singur project dropped to 390 cusecs. Its present storage has 14.89 TMC as against the gross storage capacity of 29.91 TMC. The project was brimming with some 28 TMC by middle of August last year.

The Lower Manair Reservoir continued to receive as little as 206 cusecs as its average inflows while the dam had only 5.45 TMC as part of its present storage. It had a gross storage capacity of more than 24 TMC. The project had nearly 20 TMC by August 16, 2023.

The project is yet to receive any water from the KLIS operations so far this year. Though the project had scope to take water from Devadula Lift Irrigation project also, the pumping operations at Devadula are yet to take off in full scale.

The Sriram Sagar project had received so far about 48 TMCs. But it had a flood cushion of more than 30 TMCs to be filled up to the gross storage capacity of 80 TMCs. The inflows to the project had come down to some 4300 cusecs.

The Yellampali that was holding out a big hope for the KLIS operations, that started almost 20 days ago, is depleting fast with the average inflows falling to 3,300 cusecs. Accordingly, the volume of water being pumped out from the project was scaled down to 3810 cusecs. The project needs to maintain a minimum of 14 TMC in its present storage to meet the drinking water needs of the Hyderabad and enroute towns. But its present storage contained less than 14 TMCs.

The Mid Manair is receiving about 3,150 cusecs from Yellampalli. Its inflows were over 6000 cusecs till recently. The drawls from Nandimedaram pump house were apparently scaled down in view of the dipping water level in Yellampalli.

The pumping operations at Nandimedaram which commenced on July 27, helped in lifting close to 2O TMS of Godavari water during the past 20 days. It helped in facilitating some top up filling in Mallannasagar, Kondapochamma sagar and Anantagiri reservoirs, many of the KLIS reservoirs are still on wait for water releases.