Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Pocharam project, located between Medak and Kamareddy districts, may be breached due to heavy floods.

He instructed chief secretary K Ramakrishna Rao to take steps to evacuate the people living in the villages located downstream, as a preventive measure.

As per reports, one of the corners of the spillway suffered a breach because of the reservoir overflowing, and officials were trying to plug the breach. If the project gets breached, crops on thousands of acres risk being damaged.

“The government is fully prepared to tackle any situation arising due to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in the state,” Reddy assured, speaking with the media at Gandhi Bhavan on Wednesday, August 27.

He said every precaution was being put in place to protect reservoirs, canals, and minor irrigation tanks from breaches and to ensure effective water management.

Flood preparedness measures

Uttam Kumar Reddy held a detailed video conference with senior officials of the irrigation department and instructed them to remain on high alert, particularly in Kamareddy and Medak districts, where heavy rainfall has been reported.

The minister said all possible steps, from close monitoring of water levels to deploying sandbags at vulnerable points, were being taken. He stressed the need for tight coordination between the irrigation department, district collectors, revenue authorities, and other departments concerned.

“I wish to once again reiterate, in view of the flood-like situation in some districts, all irrigation officials are requested to be present in the field and initiate flood mitigation measures by using their financial powers under GO 45,” the minister said.

Reports from Kamareddy indicated that Nizam Sagar was safely handling surplus inflows of 1.52 lakh cusecs with an additional 86,000 cusecs incoming.

The minister directed officials to keep a close watch, restore minor tank damages immediately, and ensure constant coordination with the district administration. “The heaviest rains are being recorded in your districts. Do not lower your guard,” he told Kamareddy and Medak, chief engineers.

The minister instructed that sandbags be arranged in advance and positioned at vulnerable stretches of bunds, canals, and tank bunds, especially in the low-lying villages. He said the irrigation department officials must coordinate closely with police, Panchayat Raj, and power utilities to ensure a quick response to any situation.

Focus on reservoirs and water management

He directed that flood alerts be issued to farmers cultivating in the ayacut areas downstream of reservoirs so that they could take precautionary steps. He emphasised the need for quick communication lines so that reports on rainfall, reservoir levels, and field conditions were received in real time.

Reviewing the storage position in the Krishna and Godavari basins, the minister directed engineers to give continuous updates on inflows, discharges, and timelines for reaching full reservoir levels. He enquired whether all pumps were working at full capacity and instructed that additional pumping should be taken up wherever possible to manage water levels efficiently.

At Palair Dam, he ordered officials to fill the reservoir up to safe levels while maintaining a buffer margin to accommodate natural inflows. He said regulated releases through the left canal must be ensured to prevent water from flowing into the sea.

In the Godavari basin, operations at Sripada Yellampalli, Mid Manair, and Lower Manair dams were reviewed. The minister asked engineers to carefully balance inflows and outflows and to intensify pumping at Annapurna, Ranganayaka Sagar, and Mallanna Sagar reservoirs under the Kaleshwaram Project, so that optimum levels could be achieved within the next two weeks.

He directed them to work closely with the power department to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply for pumping operations.

He instructed the chief engineers to fill minor irrigation tanks wherever feasible as part of an organised programme to strengthen water storage across the state. The minister added that emergency control rooms must stay active around the clock, and district-level teams should be ready with equipment and materials, including sandbags, to deal with any breaches or emergencies.

To ensure accountability, he directed engineer-in-chief Amjed Ullah to personally monitor reservoir levels and pumping on a daily basis, through both physical inspections and online reviews. He said all CEs must hold daily meetings and report the progress to ensure no negligence in flood preparedness.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the twin priorities were to protect the state from floods and to ensure long-term water security by making optimum use of available resources.

“This season gives us the chance to secure water for the year, but it must be managed with efficiency and discipline. All officers must treat flood safety as an emergency task and act without delay,” he added.

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