ADILABAD: The Kadam irrigation project is in danger of causing flash floods due to the heavy inflow of rainwater from areas upstream of the Nirmal district on Wednesday.
So far, 17 of the 18 sluice gates of the Kadam project have been opened. The inflow of water is around 5.09 lakh cusecs, while 2.98 lakh cusecs were being discharged into the Godavari, amid heavy rainfall of 25 cm in Jainoor and Nirmal, and 27.63 cm in Adilabad.
Officials said that the water level has reached full capacity of 7.603 TMC, at a height of 700 metres. Further, one sluice gate was not functioning, it was revealed.
Forests minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy said a breach to one side of the project, due to floodwater, reportedly saved it by a natural release of floodwater downstream. However, irrigation officials could not confirm the same.
Experts said that there is a need to upgrade the project soon and called for steps to discharge 2 lakh cusecs of water from the project, if need be.
Meanwhile, visitors thronged the site of the Kadam project in large numbers, as floodwater entered the premises of Haritha Resort, located in its vicinity.
Allola Indrakaran Reddy, MLA Rekha Naik and collector Mushraff Faruqui Ali are monitoring the situation at the ground level.
Around 1,000 people evacuated from low-lying areas were shifted to Rythuvedikalu, schools and R&B guesthouses located in Kadam mandal. The low-lying areas include 12 villages of Kannapur, Pandavapur, Devunigudem, Kondukur, Rapar, Kadam, Godishyaral, and Munyal in Dasthurabad and Kadam mandals.
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