Adilabad: Farmers falling in the area under irrigation within the Sripada Yellampalli irrigation project are relieved as the project received good inflows from upstream sources, particularly from the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP). Irrigation officials have started discharging water downstream into the Godavari River by lifting the gates, ensuring there will be no shortage of water for both drinking and irrigation purposes in the Mancherial district.
On Monday, the project received a total of 74,000 cusecs of water, including 42,000 cusecs from the SRSP, with the remaining inflows coming from other catchments. In response, irrigation authorities released 66,000 cusecs downstream by lifting 12 of the 62 gates.
The water level in the Yellampalli irrigation project reached 20.147 TMC ft, just shy of its full capacity of 20.175 TMC ft. This has brought relief to farmers in Dandepalli, Jannaram, and Luxettipet mandals, who are celebrating the project’s near-full capacity.
Up until a week ago, the Yellampalli project had seen minimal inflows, and two months ago, the project was nearing dead storage levels, causing a water shortage for irrigation. However, with the intervention of local MLA K. Premsagar Rao, water was released to save standing crops.
In the last two days alone, the project received 1.5 lakh cusecs of water. Though the gates of the Kadam project remain closed, officials have warned people along the Godavari River, advising them to avoid venturing into the river due to strong water currents.
There is concern that if the Godavari River experiences significant backwater effects due to heavy inflows, standing crops in low-lying agricultural areas, especially in the Chennur Assembly constituency, could face inundation. However, with water being discharged downstream from the Kaleshwaram project, officials are managing the situation.
Irrigation authorities are also directing water from the Yellampalli project to fill the Lower Manair and Ranganayakasagar reservoirs. Two days ago, 14 gates were lifted to discharge water downstream from the Yellampalli project, further ensuring a steady water supply for the region.
