Water level reaches close to the brim at Tungabhadra Reservoir in Hosapete

Increased water level in Tungabhadra Reservoir due to heavy rainfall, authorities raise gates for discharge, caution downstream residents.

With heavy rainfall lashing the catchment area of Tungabhadra Reservoir, especially in the Sahyadri range, the water level in the reservoir near Hospete in Vijayanagara district has increased considerably in the last couple of weeks.

As per information provided by the authorities of the Irrigation Central Zone of Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited, the water level in the reservoir reached 1,631.28 ft (98.96 tmcft of water) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday against a full reservoir level of 1,633 ft (105.788 tmcft of water).

The average inflow for the last 24 hours has been 84,115 cusecs.

Considering discharge from the Tunga and Varada dams upstream and the continuing rainfall in the catchment areas, the authorities raised 10 slipway gates by a foot to discharge 18,686 cusecs into the river course.

The authorities cautioned people downstream the dam against venturing into the river and appealed to them to take all necessary precautions to remain safe.

The inter-State reservoir serving Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was meant to hold over 132 tmcft of water when it was built in 1953. Owing to silt accumulation in the reservoir bed over the last 70 years, the storage capacity has diminished to 105 tmcft.

Since dredging the reservoir is technically impossible, the government has decided to build a balancing reservoir near Navale in Koppal district to compensate for the loss of storage caused by silt formation.