Nellore: Kandaleru fails to utilise outflows of Somasila Reservoir

Nellore: The second huge water body in the district, Kandaleru reservoir, is still facing teething problems where the canal system from Somasila Reservoir is supplying only insufficient water flow of 11,000 cusecs. At the time of huge inflows from the Rayalaseema region, Somasila reservoir releases water for storage in Kandaleru, which is failing to utilise the opportunity to store water up to its full capacity.

The water body was constructed as part of the Telugu Ganga Project three decades ago and the successive governments failed to modernise them. Somasila Reservoir reached the water level of 72 tmc feet on September 16, the second time in a year. In last October also the reservoir filled to the brim due to huge inflows from upper catchment areas of Rayalaseema.

But the canal can supply only 11,000 cusecs of water to Kandaleru through the flood flow canal system when more than 1 lakh cusecs of water being released into Bay of Bengal. Whenever Somasila Reservoir gets huge inflows from the Rayalaseema region due to heavy rains, Kandaleru is failing to utilise the opportunity to store water upto its full capacity.

The Kandaleru reservoir is having a 12-km-long earthen dam and the capacity of reservoir is 68 tmc feet of water. It is the biggest dam in South Asia and the governments have been neglecting its modernisation. The flood flow canal of Somasila can supply only 11,000 cusecs of water and it takes around 60 days for filling the water body up to its Full Reservoir Level with the current volume of water flow.

Experts say the capacity has to be doubled for utilising the outflows during rainy season efficiently. Normally, water flows last within a period of 10-15 days and the officials are failing to fill the water body. This year, officials finally filled 50 tmc feet of water as the inflows have been good. Somasila reservoir was also filled up to 74 tmc feet besides releasing 40,000 cusecs of water into the sea.

"The main problem is with the forest clearances. There have been problems for radial gates even though concrete works were completed with around Rs 30 crore. Now, a ring bund is being constructed for regulating water aiming to fill the dam up to 60 tmc feet of water," said an official from the reservoir.