A flood alert was sounded in SPSR Nellore district as the Somasila reservoir, the lifeline of the district, was brimming with water in the wake of incessant rains lashing different parts of South Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.
Widespread rains were registered in the region under the influence of a low pressure area formed over Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department(IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in the region in the next 24 hours.
15000 cusecs released
Anticipating heavy inflows following continuous downpour in the catchment areas, 15,000 cusecs of water was released from the reservoir downstream of Penna river.
The storage in the reservoir was maintained at 72.14 tmcft, leaving a flood cushion of 5.86 tmcft.
Patrolling intensified along Penna
People living in the riverine mandals of Sangam, Chejerla, Anantasagaram and Kaluvaya were asked not to enter the river. Police personnel intensified patrolling along the Penna river.
The storage in Kandaleru reservoir improved to 46.62 tmcft as against its full capacity of 68.03 tmcft, following an inflow of 7790 cusecs. The discharge was maintained at 810 cusecs.
Meanwhile, the kharif crop coverage improved to 61% of the normal extent of 1.71 lakh hectares in Prakasam district. The rainfall deficit in the drought-prone district came down to 5% as the district recorded 240.5 mm rainfall so far during the southwest monsoon season.
