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Prakasam Barrage Nears Six-Lakh-Cusec Discharge as Somasila Opens Five Gates After Montha Rains

Officials say flows should crest overnight before easing, with evacuations and round-the-clock monitoring in low-lying areas.

Overview

  • Water Resources Department issued first and second flood warnings at Prakasam Barrage within five hours as discharge rose from 3.97 lakh to beyond 5.67 lakh cusecs.
  • By Thursday night, outflow from Prakasam reached about 5.82 lakh cusecs, and officials said it could touch 6–6.5 lakh cusecs before receding.
  • All 69 crest gates at Prakasam, except one under maintenance, were lifted and canal releases were halted as authorities put areas upstream and downstream on high alert.
  • Heavy inflows were driven by releases from Pulichintala and Nagarjuna Sagar and a rapid surge from the Munneru tributary, which alone sent roughly two lakh cusecs in a short span.
  • Somasila reservoir approached its full level with 70.927 TMC in storage, five gates opened to release 78,460 cusecs into the Penna, and partial inundation was reported in nearby low-lying localities with evacuations underway.