KRMB recently wrote to both governments to stop power generation immediately as the water levels in the reservoirs are being depleted at a very rapid rate
Published Date – Monday, 4/17/23 at 8:00pm
File photo: Srisailam Dam
Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has asked the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to stop water withdrawals for Srisailam Dam’s power generation as water levels in the Srisailam reservoir drop rapidly.
The board recently wrote to the governments of both countries to demand an immediate halt to power generation as the reservoir levels are being depleted at a very rapid rate, which is creating problems with the allocation of water for irrigation and drinking.
According to the board, the minimum water drop in the Srisailam Dam is fixed at 805 feet, while the current water level of the dam is 804.70 feet. Srisailam has a full reservoir level (FRL) of 885 feet and a total capacity of 215.81 TMC.
However, the current total capacity has been reduced to 34.40 TMC and therefore continuation of power generation is not recommended due to possible shortage of irrigation and drinking water in Telugu, the letter said.
Even inflows have fallen to 235 cusecs, which is much less than the 811.10 cusecs recorded in the same period last April. According to reports, Telangana is pumping almost 0.5 to 0.6 TMC of water per day from the Srisailam Dam for power generation.
The KRMB has asked the two countries to explore new avenues for electricity, as water is a limited resource that cannot be tapped to meet growing electricity demand. Srisailam Left Power House has 6 units of 150MW generating 900MW per day, while Srisailam Right Power House has a total installed capacity of 770MW (7 generators with a capacity of 110MW each).
However, Telangana Irrigation officials said the state was not wasting the water as it was using it to meet power emergencies and to let the water enter the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir that serves both Telugu states.
According to Chief Minister for Special Missions (Irrigation) Sridhar Rao Deshpande, there is no need to worry about the state’s water supply as there is enough water in the reservoirs to meet the state’s needs. “All water bodies in the state have enough water for irrigation and drinking water needs,” he said.
FRL grade: 885 feet
current level: 804.70 feet
Total Dam Capacity: 215.81 TMC
Current total capacity: 34.40 TMC
Inflow: 235 cubic seconds
Left power room capacity: 900 MW
Right power room capacity: 770 MW
