The Radial Crest Gates of Sri Srisailam Dam will be lifted on Saturday to release water into the Krishna through the spillway as the dam is nearing its Full Reservoir Level (FRL). The formal lifting of crest gates will be done by Irrigation Minister Ambati Rambabu, and the officials will later decide on the quantum of water to be released based on the inflows at that point in time.
On Thursday at 6 p.m., the water level at the reservoir was at 881 feet against the maximum of 885 feet and it was holding 190 tmcft of water against a maximum storage capacity of 215.8 tmcft, said Srisailam Superintending Engineer P. Sreerama Chandra Murthy. The 512 m (1,680 ft) long, the dam has 12 radial crest gates.
It has a reservoir of 616 sq. km receiving water from Tungabhadra through Sunkesula (1,02,654 cusecs) and from Jurala in Krishna. The inflows on Thursday evening were 1,79,093 cusecs and 39,483 cusecs was the outflow with 19,070 cusecs being utilised by Telangana for power generation, 17,000 cusecs being drawn through Pothireddypady Head Regulator, 1,013 cusecs through Malyala lift into HNSS canal and 2400 cusecs being drawn by Telangana through Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme (MGKLI).