With 4.97 lakh cusecs of water being released on Saturday, which came down to 3.43 cusecs on Sunday, a large number of people visited the Srisailam dam to view the sight.
Approach roads from the hills on both sides of the dam--AP and Telangana--were jam-packed as many from Guntur, Kurnool, Prakasam and from Hyderabad visited the dam as 10 out of its 12 crest gates were lifted to release the floodwater.
Giving a go-by to physical distancing and wearing of masks, many were seen posing together for photographs at the dam while others were scattered along the Doranala-Srisailam dam road, making the place a picnic spot.
At the Srisailam Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple, the footfall was very low with just 5,000 people visiting the temple on Vinayaka Chaturthi, as against the the usual number of 50,000, said Executive Officer Karanam S. Rama Rao. “From Sunday, we have started all arjitha sevas, kalyanam etc. by following all COVID-19 protocols,” he said. Tickets for sevas have been reduced to 30%.
