Aided by steady inflows from the upper catchments areas of the Godavari, the water level in the Sriramsagar Project (SRSP) in Nizamabad district reached 1070.70 ft as against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 1091 ft at 8 p.m. on Monday.
At 8 p.m. on Monday, the inflows into the reservoir from the upper Godavari basin stood at 15,330 cusecs. The gradual increase in the water level in the SRSP, the lifeline of north Telangana, after a prolonged dry spell, rekindled hopes of farmers in the region.
All the 14 gates of Babli barrage across the Godavari in Nanded district of neighbouring Maharashtra were opened on July 1 this year. The Babli project gates will be kept open till October 28 in tune with the annual practice as per the Supreme Court orders dating back to 2013.
The water level in the SRSP stood at 1088 ft on the same day last year owing to copious rains in the upper reaches of the Godavari River.
The below normal rainfall in the Godavari basin last month presented a bleak prospect for the SRSP ayacutdars. However, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) proved a boon as about three tmc ft of water was pumped into the SRSP in reverse pumping mode, Irrigation department sources said.
Meanwhile, Telangana State Planning Board (TSPB) vice-chairman B. Vinod Kumar along with Backward Classes Welfare Minister G Kamalakar on Monday opened four gates of the Mid-Manair Reservoir in Rajanna Sircilla district to release 5500 cusecs of water into the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) in Karimnagar. The move was necessitated to augment water level in the LMD.
