Irrigation experts repaired the damaged second crest gate of the Kandula Obul Reddy Gundlakamma reservoir on a war-footing in Prakasam district on December 10 (Sunday).
The gate was damaged following flash floods triggered by cyclone Michaung on December 8.
“Three stoplog elements have been put at the second gate and water discharge stopped,” Chief Engineer R. Muralinatha Reddy told The Hindu.
However, leakage of 50 to 70 cusecs of water continued from the reservoir, and efforts were on to plug it, he said, and added that it might take a day or two. The reservoir had nil inflows on Sunday.
The current storage of 0.8 tmc ft water in the reservoir would be sufficient to meet the drinking water requirement of Ongole city till summer and irrigation needs of farmers coming under the lift irrigation schemes downstream, Mr. Muralinatha Reddy said.
The reservoir could store up to 1.5 tmc ft of water following the repairs, he said. A fresh wet spell was expected around December 18.
The government finalised the tenders through reverse tendering process for repairing all the crest gates at a cost of ₹9.4 crore as suggested by a team of irrigation experts, and the works would commence soon, he added.
