Amid heavy rain, overall reservoir levels hold steady at 50% in Andhra Pradesh

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Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy reviewing water levels at the Thatipudi reservoir of Gantyada mandal in Vizianagaram district on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Heavy rains over the past one-and-a-half days under the influence of a depression have not altered storage levels significantly in Andhra Pradesh’s major dams and barrages. As of September 24, the State’s reservoirs held 552.81 TMC against their combined capacity of 1,106.36 TMC — about 50%. While the Godavari and Krishna river systems witnessed substantial inflows, key reservoirs in the Pennar basin and Rayalaseema remained well below capacity, reflecting the uneven distribution of water across the State.

Over the past 24 hours, storage levels across the five major dams and barrages remained virtually flat, with releases being regulated according to inflows and downstream conditions. The stability in storage levels came despite substantial movement of water through parts of the Godavari and Krishna systems.

The Godavari basin continued to receive heavy flows. The Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram recorded an inflow and outflow of 1,37,099 cusecs. The barrage, with a capacity of 2.93 TMC, recorded no change in storage during the last 24 hours, with the incoming flow being passed downstream, WRD officials say.

At the Donkarayi Reservoir, the inflow and outflow were both 3,485 cusecs, with storage remaining unchanged.

In the Krishna basin, the Srisailam dam had 95.36 TMC against its 215.81 TMC capacity. No instant inflow was recorded, while the downstream release was maintained at 7,250 cusecs. There was no change in storage during the period, the officials say.

At Nagarjuna Sagar, storage increased marginally from 180.09 TMC to 180.10 TMC. The reservoir received an inflow of 6,051 cusecs and released 6,027 cusecs. Its storage stood at about 58% of its 312.05 TMC capacity.

Further downstream, the Pulichinthala project in Palnadu district had 27.45 TMC against its 45.77 TMC capacity, with the water level at 161.61 feet. The project received an inflow of 3,688 cusecs and released 400 cusecs. Its storage remained unchanged over the 24 hour period.

At Prakasam Barrage in NTR district, the inflow and outflow were both recorded at 11,588 cusecs. The barrage recorded no change in its reported storage of 3.03 TMC, officials say.

The storage position in the Pennar basin and Rayalaseema remained considerably lower. The Somasila Reservoir held 16.50 TMC against its 78 TMC capacity, leaving 61.50 TMC of available capacity. The Kandaleru Reservoir had 17.27 TMC against its 68.03 TMC capacity, leaving 50.76 TMC of available capacity.

The combined storage reported for the Rayalaseema region was 171.62 TMC against a total capacity of 372.37 TMC, leaving 200.75 TMC of unfilled capacity.

The contrasting storage positions underline the uneven distribution of water across the State. While the Godavari and Krishna systems are handling substantial flows, reservoirs in the Pennar basin and Rayalaseema continue to remain well below their full-reservoir levels.

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