Hyderabad: Moderate rain in the Manjeera catchment area in Medak has resulted in the first inflows of the season to the Singur dam, one of the principal sources of drinking water for Hyderabad.
The 30-TMC ft capacity Singur dam and the Manjeera barrage in Medak district had dried up about two months ago and the authorities had stopped water supply to the capital from these two sources. On Saturday, they started receiving 8,500 cusecs of water.
“These inflows are contributed by local rain and we are getting almost 1 TMC ft of water. But the inflows have started receding,” Mr K. Madhusudana Rao, chief engineer, Godavari basin, told this newspaper.
Karnataka has built several check dams and barrages across the Manjeera river — a tributary of the Godavari — reducing inflows into Telangana state. Mr Rao said Singur and Nizamsagar depend upon surplus flows from upstream Karnataka, where there is currently no rain.
Srisailam to get water from Sunday
“We get water after the Karinja project built by Karnataka in Bidar district is filled, which has happened for the last few years. If there is more rain, we can hope for good inflows this year,” K. Madhusudana Rao, chief engineer, Godavari basin said.
Meanwhile, Srisailam dam, the inter-state multipurpose project for TS and AP, is slated to receive its first inflows of the season on Sunday. On Saturday evening, the upstream Jurala project in Mahbubnagar district was releasing 44,000 cusecs into the Krishna river that reaches Srisailam.
“Since the Almatti and Narayanapur dams in Karnataka and Jurala in Mahbubnagar are already full, any further inflow due to rain will go to the Srisailam dam,” said M. Chittibabu, chief engineer, Srisailam project.
The Srisailam dam, where water stands at 788.5 ft against the full reservoir level of 885 ft, will start receiving inflows from Sunday which may continue for a few more days. Unless the Srisailam dam impounds a sufficient quantity, it will not release water to the downstream Nagarjunasagar project.
Srisailam is sorely in need of water ahead of the 12-day Krishna Pushkaralu which commences on August 12. Many devotees expect to take the sacred bath at the Srisailam dam and the Patalaganga bathing ghats built on either side of river separating AP and TS.
