The river Godavari water started flowing towards Sriramsagar project from the upstream Babli Barrage in Maharashtra for the first time this water year as the gates of the reservoir were lifted by the authorities of the Maharashtra Water Resources Department in the presence of Irrigation Department engineers of Telangana and the Central Water Commission.
Gates of the Babli Barrage are kept opened from July 1 to October 28 every year as per a Supreme Court order issued in February 2013. The gates would also be lifted for a day on March 1 every year to let 0.6 tmc ft water downstream for drinking needs.
Combined Andhra Pradesh moved the Supreme Court in 2006 opposing construction of the barrage, located 30 km from the inter-state border, that commenced in 2004, contending that it would impact flows into Sriramsagar project and over 7.28 lakh hectares ayacut in combined Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda, Khammam and Medak districts as also drinking needs.
The Supreme Court ,while allowing Maharastra to construct the barrage, had also directed that its utilisation of water from the barrage shall not exceed 2.74 tmc ft, the storage capacity of the barrage, during the period from October 29 to June 30 every year.
Maharashtra Water Resources authorities led by Executive Engineer of the barrage A.S. Chougale operated the motors to lift the gates. Executive Engineers M. Chakrapani (SRSP) and Srinivas Rao (CWC), AEE of Babli Kanad Khedekar, K. Ravi and M. Vamshi (SRSP) were also present while the barrage gates were being lifted at 8 am on Friday. The barrage has one tmc ft of water storage at the time of lifting gates.
Meanwhile, flows from Godavari to Sriramsagar are likely to improve with the gates of Babli barrage remaining opened. About 5 tmc ft water reached Sriramsagar project in June, the first month of this water year, from the local catchment areas.
