Hyderabad: A spell of unseasonal rainfall ahead of the southwest monsoon has drenched large parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, spilling over into Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema region and sending water levels surging in the Krishna river basin.
Triggered first by pre-monsoon showers and now fed further by the advancing monsoon, these rains have breathed new life into rivers, tanks and reservoirs. In many areas, the May heat has been abruptly replaced by cloudy skies and steady downpours.
The Krishna river is now witnessing a steady flood surge, with its tributaries swollen from continuous rains over the past ten days. Particularly affected are districts like Kurnool and Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, and areas upstream in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
At the Jurala project in Mahabubnagar district, inflows have been consistent for the last three days. As of the latest readings, inflows into the dam stood at 3,258 cusecs, while outflows were recorded at 805 cusecs. Water levels are climbing gradually – currently at 318.490 metres, just shy of the dam’s full reservoir level of 318.516 metres. The storage has now reached 5.928 TMC, out of a total capacity of 9.657 TMC. Officials say the dam could hit full capacity within a week if current inflows persist, possibly prompting gate operations.
Further downstream, the Srisailam reservoir is also feeling the impact. With heavy rains upstream and its feeder streams gushing, inflows to the dam have begun unusually early this year. Traditionally, floodwaters reach Srisailam only by July, but this year, the early showers have advanced the timeline.
As of Wednesday morning, inflows into Srisailam stood at 4,462 cusecs, with 19,070 cusecs being released downstream. The reservoir’s water level has reached 817.20 feet, against its full level of 885 feet. With power generation underway at the left-bank hydel station, the outflow currently exceeds the inflow, keeping the system balanced for now.
