Kurnool: Sunkesula Barrage continues to receive copious inflows

Kurnool: District collector G Veera Pandiyan on Tuesday visited Sunkesula Barrage and inspected the water level and inflows. Due to incessant rains in upstream Karnataka state, Tungabhadra dam is receiving copious inflows. On an average, the dam is receiving 40,000 cusecs of water out of which 36,000 cusecs is being discharged downstream. The released water is reaching Sunkesula Barrage which is constructed on Tungabhadra river at Sunkesula village.

With the continuous inflows into Sunkesula, the irrigation department officials are also releasing 22,000 cusecs of floodwater by lifting 20 crest gates out of the total 33 to a height of 2 feet. The actual capacity of Sunkesula Barrage is 1.20 tmc ft and the present it is 1.15 tmc feet. With the discharge of floodwaters into Tungabhadra river, district collector Veera Pandiyan ordered the officials concerned to be on alert and monitor the floodwaters continuously. He also told the officials to caution the people of river bank villages if the flood level rises.

The irrigation officials informed the collector that currently there was no flood threat to the villagers. When the water discharge exceeds 1.5 lakh cusecs, then there is a need to caution people. However, the river bank villagers would be alerted not to enter the river for any purpose. The collector has also ordered the officials concerned not to allow visitors near the barrage.