Andhra Pradesh reservoirs brim as heavy rains swell inflows

Steady inflows from heavy rains in the upper catchment areas have pushed most major reservoirs in Andhra Pradesh to near-full levels on Wednesday.

Officials of the Water Resources Department said the combined storage in the State’s major reservoirs stood at 94.77% of their gross capacity, indicating healthy water availability across the Godavari, Krishna, Penna, and Vamsadhara basins. The gross capacity of all major reservoirs is 1,062.89 TMC, while the present storage reached 1,007.31 TMC, leaving a flood cushion of 55.58 TMC (8.15%).

Krishna Basin

The Srisailam reservoir recorded a level of 884.10 ft against its full reservoir level (FRL) of 885 ft, holding 210.51 TMC of water compared to 206.54 TMC during the same period last year. Inflows into Srisailam were 63,439 cusecs, while outflows stood at 96,863 cusecs through power generation and canal releases.

Downstream, the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir reached 589.80 ft with 311.45 TMC of storage, up from 306.40 TMC a year ago. Inflows were 71,457 cusecs and outflows 64,540 cusecs, mainly for power generation and irrigation. At Pulichintala, inflows were 44,786 cusecs, with the reservoir holding 43.55 TMC at 173.55 ft. The Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada saw balanced inflows and outflows of 53,857 cusecs, maintaining water at 57.05 ft — the warning level for the barrage.

Godavari Basin

Most reservoirs in the Godavari basin remained close to full capacity. The Dowlaiswaram (Sir Arthur Cotton) Barrage registered inflows of 55,862 cusecs, with smooth canal discharges into the Eastern, Central, and Western deltas. Total utilisation from the Godavari delta system since June 1 stood at 130.79 TMC, higher than 116.19 TMC in the corresponding period last year.

Penna Basin

In the Penna basin, the Somasila reservoir stood at 324.08 ft with 65.05 TMC of storage, compared to 67.65 TMC last year. The Kandaleru reservoir was at 259.32 ft with 42.38 TMC, ensuring sufficient reserves for irrigation. The Veligodu balancing reservoir in Kadapa district held 15.90 TMC at 866.57 ft, while the Yeleru reservoir in East Godavari stood at 21.78 TMC, slightly above last year’s level.

Vamsadhara Basin

The Gotta Barrage on the Vamsadhara River maintained a level of 123.46 ft with 0.50 TMC in storage and inflows of 1,580 cusecs, ensuring steady discharge into the canals.