Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): In response to heavy rainfall in the upper Narmada valley and opening of gates at Bargi and Tawa dams, the gates of Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar Sagar dams will be opened on Sunday (July 27) morning for the first time this monsoon.
The gates of Indira Sagar Dam are expected to open at 4 am, followed by Omkareshwar Sagar Dam at 6 am.
The water level at Indira Sagar reservoir stood at 258.41metres, while Omkareshwar dam recorded a level of 194.72metres on Saturday.
Due to anticipation of heavy waterflow after opening of gates, NHDC dam management has issued an alert forrest residents along the banks of the Narmada River and in lower-lying areas.
Currently, all turbines at both dams are operational, contributing to an increased water level in the Narmada River, with a flow rate of 1800 to 2000 cubic meters per second.
The situation escalated due to heavy rain in the upper Narmada basin and as a result a large quanity of water (measuring 3,173 cubic meters per second) was released from Tawa Dam and Bargi Dam (1,338 cubic meters per second).
This resulted in an estimated total inflow of around 7500 cubic meters per second into the Indira Sagar reservoir. Indira Sagar project head Ajit Kumar said that additional water may be released if heavy rainfall continues upstream.