VIJAYAWADA / GUNTUR: Several districts in Andhra Pradesh are bracing for severe flooding as the Krishna River continues to swell due to heavy inflows from the Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, and Pulichintala reservoirs, coupled with intense rainfall in the catchment areas.
The Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada is currently releasing over 5.60 lakh cusecs of water, with all crest gates lifted, and discharge is expected to reach 7 lakh cusecs in the coming hours, prompting the issuance of flood warnings.
By 7 pm on Thursday, Srisailam released 1,97,592 cusecs, Nagarjuna Sagar 2,64,754 cusecs, and Pulichintala 1,84,034 cusecs, with additional heavy flows from tributaries like Munneru and Paleru further raising water levels at the barrage.
Krishna district officials have identified 90 vulnerable villages across 11 mandals for possible evacuation. NTR district authorities are on high alert, particularly around the Budameru stream, which inundated almost half of Vijayawada city last year. Caution boards have been installed, staff deployed for continuous monitoring, and toll-free numbers issued for public assistance.
In Guntur district, surplus inflows from the barrage have put Thullur, Mangalagiri, Tenali, Tadepalli, and Kollipara mandals at risk of inundation if releases cross 8 lakh cusecs. So far, only Pedalanka village in Thullur mandal has been inundated, with residents shifted to relief camps.
Overflow from the Guntur Channel flooded Namburu, forcing 150 families into relief centres, while the Kondaveeti Vagu’s spate led to the evacuation of 75 families from Garikapadu and Betajpuram. Crops have been extensively damaged in Kollipara mandal.
In Bapatla district, three villages of the Kolluru mandal, home to around 6,000 people, risk isolation. Plans are underway to relocate about 11,000 residents from 13 habitations to relief camps stocked with two months’ worth of essential supplies.
Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy reviewed the situation and directed officials to provide immediate assistance to farmers and alert residents of Lanka villages.
In Palnadu district, torrential rains earlier this week caused several rivulets to overflow, cutting off transport to many villages in the Amaravati region. While rainfall has since subsided, the situation is gradually returning to normal.
Heavy rainfall driven by a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal has brought 3,000 mm of rain in Krishna district over the past 36 hours and 1,880 mm in NTR district in the last 24 hours, with forecasts warning of continued downpours for at least two more days. Authorities across all affected districts have been instructed to provide drinking water, food, medical camps, and other facilities for evacuees.
The South Central Railway has imposed speed restrictions of 30 km/h on bridges between Vezzendla–Manipuram, Piduguralla–Bellamkonda, and Guntur–Tenali as a safety precaution.