The bridge near Kollur village in Shahapur taluk of Yadgir district is likely to be submerged in the Krishna waters, as KBJNL officials have increased outflow from the Basava Sagar Reservoir.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The district administration is likely to close the road passing through the bridge constructed on the Krishna river near Kollur village in Shahapur taluk in Yadgir district any moment, as officials of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL) have announced that outflow from Basava Sagar Reservoir into the river course will reach three lakh cusecs shortly.
If outflow is in such quantity, the bridge will be submerged in the river waters and connectivity between Shahapur and Raichur via Deodurg will be cut off. In that eventuality, vehicles should use the Shorapur bypass road via the Tinthini bridge to reach either Deodurg or Raichur.
KBJNL officials released 2.50 lakh cusecs of water at 6 p.m. on Thursday and they will increase it to 3 lakh cusecs shortly. The water level in the reservoir stands at 490.68 m against a full reservoir level of 492.25 m. The inflow into the reservoir was 2.40 lakh cusecs.
The outflow from Alamatti dam into the Basava Sagar Reservoir is being gradually increased following heavy rain in the Krishna catchment areas. And, KBJNL officials are trying to maintain safety level in the dams.
“The outflow into the river has gradually been increasing. If water discharge into the river goes beyond 2.80 lakh cusecs to 3 lakh cusecs, the bridge near Kollur village will be submerged by the river waters. Therefore, as a precaution, we will close the main road that passes through the bridge connecting Shahapur with Raichur,” Tahsildar of Shahapur Umakanth Halle told The Hindu.
He also said that the police and revenue staff have been deployed on the spot for security purposes.
Standing crops such as paddy and cotton in riverbank villages are facing the threat of flooding.
“We face crop loss during the flooding season if the water level in the river is increased beyond 3 lakh cusecs. Several pumpsets have been washed away in the river waters in the previous years,” Shivareddy Patil, a farmer in Kollur village, said.
