VIJAYAWADA: For the first time in the past decade, the Krishna River has created history with an unprecedented discharge of 1,445.93 TMC of surplus water from the Prakasam Barrage.
The gates of the barrage remained lifted for 88 continuous days, marking the longest spell and highest outflow witnessed in the recent 13 years, signifying an extraordinary period of abundant rainfall and strong river flow across the Krishna basin.
According to information, the barrage received a total inflow of 1,564.77 TMC so far in the current year (from June to date), the highest in 13 years.
These inflows were mainly drawn from upstream releases (1,311.96 TMC), supported by tributary contributions from Munneru, Wyra, and Kattaleru (122.91 TMC) and Pattiseema-Velagaleru (7.47 TMC).
Out of this total realised water, 1,445.93 TMC was released downstream into the Bay of Bengal, and 118.84 TMC was released to canals for agrarian activities and to meet drinking water needs.
This year, the Krishna Eastern Main Canal (KE) was opened on June 15, utilizing 74.57 TMC, while the Krishna Western Main Canal (KW), opened on July 2, utilised 43.73 TMC so far.
The Guntur Channel accounted for 0.54 TMC, bringing the total canal utilization (Krishna canal system) to 118.84 TMC. This efficient distribution supported irrigation needs across thousands of acres in Krishna, NTR, and Guntur, Eluru districts, ensuring a steady water supply for agriculture throughout Kharif.
On the other hand, this year’s discharge surpassed the 2022 record of 1,338.17 TMC and stood well above the earlier peak of 1,278.12 TMC in the 2020 water year. Notably, over the years, only a few years have witnessed exceptionally high surplus flows from the Krishna River.
Apart from 2025, 2022, 2020, the years 2019, 2021, and 2024 also registered significant discharges. In contrast, some years in the past decade saw very low surplus water levels, reflecting the erratic monsoon pattern across the Krishna basin. The 2015 water year recorded only 9.26 TMC of surplus water, one of the lowest figures in recent memory, as the region faced a weak monsoon and poor inflows from upstream reservoirs.
Similarly, in 2017, the barrage registered zero surplus, indicating complete utilisation of available water for irrigation and drinking purposes. Even 2018 witnessed only 39.04 TMC of surplus discharge.