VIJAYAWADA: Following continuous inflows into the Krishna River, water resources authorities have released 2.77 lakh cusecs of surplus water from the Prakasam Barrage downstream into the Bay of Bengal.
The officials opened all 55 crest gates up to six feet and 15 gates up to seven feet to facilitate the discharge of 2,60,875 cusecs.
In addition, 16,909 cusecs are being released into irrigation canals — 10,187 cusecs to the Krishna Eastern Main Canal (serving Bandar, Ryves, KEB and Eluru canals), 6,522 cusecs to Krishna Western Main Canal, and 200 cusecs to the Guntur Channel.
The surge in discharge follows incessant rainfall in the upper catchment areas, causing heavy flood inflows into the Krishna River and rapid rise in water levels at major reservoirs, including Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, and Pulichintala. As of 8 p.m. Thursday, Pulichintala Project recorded a water storage of 40.21 TMC, which is 88% of its capacity. To manage the excess, releases from Pulichintala are steadily reaching Prakasam Barrage. Authorities in Krishna and NTR districts have issued alerts to residents living along the riverbanks.