Thanks to heavy rains in Karnataka and Maharashtra, water level in Nagarjunasagar reservoir touched 550 feet for the first time during the southwest monsoon.
Though the Telangana districts have recorded deficient rainfall during the monsoon season, hopes of receiving full reservoir level (FRL) renewed with the increased inflows.
Speaking to The Hindu , Executive Engineer at Nagarjunasagar dam, Vishnuprasad, said the inflows have increased to over 70,000 cusecs on Saturday.
The inflow to Nagarjunasagar on August 29 was just below 30,000 cusecs. As Srisailam reservoir almost attained full reservoir level on Saturday with about 2 lakh cusecs inflow, the irrigation authorities at Srisailam reservoir have to lift the gates of Srisailam project in the next couple of days to let more water flow down to Nagarjunsagar.
If the inflows continue for a week with more intensity, the chances of attaining full reservoir level of Nagarjunasagar are very high.
The outflows from Nagarjunasagar were 10,000 cusecs that includes the release of water to Right and Left bank canals and Krishna delta. The increased inflows have renewed the hopes of farmers under Sagar ayacut. As on Saturday, only about 39 (67,000 hectares) per cent of area under canals, against the total area of 1.72 lakh acres, were cultivated.
Joint Director of Agriculture B. Narasimha Rao expects the area of cultivation to go up if Nagarjunasagar receives more inflows in the next couple of weeks.
