Gorukallu Reservoir Scare: Gate Lifted at Dawn, Hundreds Flee to Hill as Water Floods Village

Panic spread through Gorukallu village in Nandyal district early Tuesday after an unidentified person allegedly lifted the lone gate at the reservoir’s outfall regulator around 4.40 am. With about 9.5 TMC of water stored in the reservoir, more than 3,000 cusecs reportedly surged through the opened gate. The excess flow damaged sections of the soil bund alongside the Srisailam Right Branch Canal, while rocks and muddy water spilled onto nearby roads and agricultural fields. As villagers saw the sudden water surge, rumours spread that the reservoir bund had breached. With power supply disrupted and rain continuing, around 1,000 residents, including children and elderly people, rushed to a nearby hill using mobile phone lights.

A major disaster was averted after electrician Kotayya, who works at a nearby cement plant’s pump house, was alerted by officials. He reached the regulator, inspected the situation and manually lowered the gate despite the power outage, bringing the water flow under control. The heavy flow had already damaged sections of the canal bund, blocked the Gorukallu-Panyam road with rocks and debris and affected electrical equipment, starter boxes and motors in the reservoir gallery. Officials suspect the gate may have been lifted deliberately because the switches are located above the regulator and have initiated an investigation. Police have registered a case, while Nandyal Collector Rajakumari, Panyam MLA Gauru Charitha Reddy and other officials inspected the site.