Water in the Singoor irrigation project is expected to last till September and officials predict a gloomy picture if rains continue to play truant.
As on Thursday, the water level at Singoor stood at 519.63 metres, with storage of 13.801 tmcft. The same day last year, the water level recorded was 515.43 metres with availability of 4.52 tmcft water. It is estimated that 0.735 tmcft would evaporate during the next three months of July, August and September.
Of the available water, 0.93 tmcft will be supplied to the twin cities in the next three months under Phase – I and II, followed by 3.75 tmcft under Phase III and IV. Another 0.2 tmcft will be supplied to the four Assembly constituencies of Siddipet, Gajwel, Medak and Narsapur for the next three months.
All this put together would mean that 5.615 tmcft water is expected to be exhausted from the available 13.8 tmcft water in the next three months, leaving only 8.186 tmcft. This was the projected figures by the officials for September 1. Officials recalled that the lowest storage of 2.5 tmcft was registered in 2002-03.
The catchment areas for the project fall in Maharashtra and Karnataka with a small area in Telangana State. Officials are hopeful of rains in August and expect the situation to improve, filling up the project.
If the water level goes below 10 tmcft, water has to be pumped as it cannot flow by gravity. “We have to make some alternative arrangements for pumping water if there are no sufficient rains in the catchment areas. But we are hoping that the situation may not go out of control,” said a senior officer in the Irrigation Department.
The full reservoir level in the project is 29.91 tmcft. In the past five years, only in 2010 did the project witness surplus water. About 70 tmcft water was released from the project that year.
