Andhra officials forcefully access Nagarjuna Sagar dam, halt water release

NALGONDA: Authorities have halted the release of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam after Andhra Pradesh officials forcefully gained access to the dam's crest gates.

On Monday, the release of water was in progress, with 18 gates raised by five feet to discharge water downstream. By the afternoon, a total of 1.43 lakh cusecs of water had been released through the crest gates, along with 8,541 cusecs into the left canal, 3,937 cusecs into the right canal, and 29,273 cusecs through power generation. However, all gates were subsequently closed. The current water level of the dam is 588.80 feet, slightly below the full level of 590 feet, with a storage capacity of 305.46 TMC against a maximum of 312.50 TMC.

The situation escalated when Andhra Pradesh officials, reportedly associated with the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's office, arrived at the dam on Sunday. Upon finding the walkway bridge gate locked, they requested the key from Telangana officials, who informed them it would take some time to provide access. Impatient with the delay, the Andhra officials forcibly broke the lock and proceeded onto the walkway bridge, which provides access to the crest gates.

Telangana employees expressed frustration over the incident, stating that their ability to perform duties was hindered, especially since the control room is located beyond the 26th gate. Photos and videos of the incident were sent to higher authorities for further action. When questioned, Executive Engineer Mallikarjuna Rao confirmed the incident and noted that further actions would be taken according to directives from higher authorities. Meanwhile, CRPF personnel stationed at the dam have reportedly allowed unrestricted access to officials from Andhra Pradesh.