Nagarjunasagar reservoir touches dead storage level

With no inflows from upstream during the entire southwest monsoon, the level in the reservoir reaches 510 feet. Meanwhile, the release of 3 tmcft of water to Aliminenti Madhava Reddy Project (AMRP) from Nagarjunasagar is under way.

Nagarjunasagar reservoir

Uncertainty continues over the cultivation of 22 lakh acres ayacut spread in five districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under the right and left canals of Nagarjunasagar reservoir as the water has touched dead storage level on Tuesday.

With no inflows from upstream during the entire southwest monsoon, the level in the reservoir was 510-foot level (132 tmcft).

The total Full Reservoir Level (FRL) is 590 feet with capacity of 312 tmcft. Superintendent Engineer B. Vijayabhaskar Rao told

The Hindu that they are now permitted to release the water for only drinking purposes. To take up Kharif cultivation in the Krishna delta at least 130 tmcft was required, the senior irrigation official said.

There was some hope with heavy rains lashing the catchment area of Krishna in Alamatti, where water was being discharged through 16 crest gates. Water is yet to reach Jurala and Srisailam projects. The present level at Srisailam project was 834 feet against FRL of 885 feet which can impound 263 tmcft. At the dead storage level, Srisailam has 54 tmcft. Srisailam reservoir, which also has the largest hydel power generating project, still needs inflows to the tune of 209 tmcft to attain FRL. The capacity of Srisailam is much higher than Alamatti (129 tmcft), Narayanapur (37 tmcft) and (Jurala 12 tmcft) together. In the present scenario, chances of Nagarjunasagar project getting 130 tmcft looks bleak.

According to existing guidelines, water level in Nagarjunsagar should be 530 feet to release water for agriculture. In Nalgonda district alone, as many as 4 lakh acres area is cultivated under left canal. Only 6 per cent of the area under canals was brought under cultivation so far which explains the intensity of the problem.

Advising the farmers to go for alternative crops like millets, Joint Director Agriculture B. Narasimha Rao, however, has observed there were instances of releasing water to Kharif crop at the end of August month in the past.

Speaking to The Hindu , a farmer from Halia K. Seenaiah said that they were all eagerly waiting for release of water to take up cultivation. He said that only few farmers, those who had borewells, have sown the nurseries. The prevailing dry weather situation will hit the economies of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as paddy production would decline largely.

It may be recalled that Krishna River Water Management Board had permitted release of 7.2 tmcft of water in July last week and August first week to Krishna delta for drinking purposes which the Telangana government had objected, saying that the direction is not binding with the earlier order issued during the president rule that permits the release of 10 tmcft of water from March to August. The AP government is still insisting on release of 2.8 tmcft of water.

Meanwhile, the release of 3 tmcft of water to Aliminenti Madhava Reddy Project (AMRP) from Nagarjunasagar is under way.