Krishna River Flood Alert: High Inflows at Prakasam Barrage, Karnataka Districts on Watch

The first flood warning remains in effect at the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada, as the Krishna River continues to receive heavy inflows for the 30th straight day.

Reports indicate that nearly 319 TMC of water has been released into the Bay of Bengal since the start of the monsoon season.

As of Wednesday (August 20), around 4.64 lakh cusecs of water had been discharged. The Krishna has been in spate since July 20, with floodwaters reaching the Prakasam Barrage, the last reservoir on the river. To regulate the surplus flow, Water Resources Department officials lifted all crest gates.

A second warning will be issued once outflows exceed 5.60 lakh cusecs. Other projects on the Krishna are also witnessing rising inflows and releases. At Srisailam, 5.18 lakh cusecs of water was released, while outflows at Nagarjuna Sagar stood at 4.48 lakh cusecs. Similarly, releases at Pulichintala reached 4.81 lakh cusecs.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed in vulnerable districts prone to flash floods.

Officials warned that levels are likely to rise further, with heavy inflows expected from upstream catchments. A flood-like situation has unfolded across the Krishna basin, with several districts in Karnataka recording intense rainfall in recent days.

Water levels in the Krishna, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha rivers have surged, heightening concern. At Almatti Dam, 2.5 lakh cusecs is being released against an average inflow of 1.6 lakh cusecs.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 24-hour flash flood risk outlook for Coastal Karnataka’s Uttar Kannada district and a yellow alert for Dharwad, forecasting light rainfall of under 5 mm per hour until 10 am on Wednesday.