High water levels in canals raise hopes of good kharif

Vijayawada: Water storage levels in irrigation canals in the state are at full capacity this season, with the three canals each under the Prakasam barrage on the Krishna river and the Dowleswaram (Sir Arthur Cotton) barrage on the Godavari, and the two canals under the Gotta Barrage on the Vamsadhara supplying water for the present kharif season. While the canals on the Godavari have been open since June, the canals on the Krishna and Vamsadhara have been kept open since July this year.
Officials have so far discharged surplus floodwaters measuring a little over 2,400 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) from the three barrages located on the three rivers in the state. Officials have also discharged 308 tmcft of water into the sea from the Prakasam barrage, while 39 tmcft was discharged from the Gotta barrage. The highest discharge of floodwater into the sea was from the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage at Dowlaiswaram on the Godavari, where officials released 2,061 tmcft of water this season.
However, availability of water in various reservoirs in the state has fallen marginally compared to the previous year. Only in the Nagarjunasagar reservoir is the water level this year better compared to last year. On September 6, 2018, the Srisailam reservoir had 202.51 tmcft of water at 882.60 feet, against the current level of 179.13 tmcft at 878.20 feet.
The Pulichintala project has received the highest water inflow this year, perhaps for the first time since its completion in 2013. The project, which had just 18.17 tmcft at 152.96 feet on September 6, 2018, is now close to its capacity of 175 feet. The project is storing 44.28 tmcft of water at 174.04 feet against a capacity of 45.77 tmcft.