Sriramsagar releases irrigation water into Kakatiya Main Canal

Water releases from Sriramsagar Project into Kakatiya Main Canal began in India's Telangana state on October 10 to irrigate standing crops. The Hindu reported that the discharge rose from 2,000 to 6,000 cubic feet per second by evening.

The water is intended for farmland above Lower Manair Dam. The newspaper said ministers and elected representatives from the former undivided Karimnagar district had asked Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to arrange the release.

According to the newspaper's sources, the reservoir held about 45 billion cubic feet of water. Its level was 1,080.20 feet, compared with a full reservoir level of 1,091 feet. The reservoir had been almost full on the corresponding day a year earlier.

Officials urged farmers to use the released water carefully. They linked the relatively low storage to deficient rainfall during the recently completed monsoon season and warned about the potential effects of El Nino on water availability.