Vijayawada: The current water year (June 1 to date) has witnessed an exceptional release of floodwater from the Krishna and Godavari rivers, with a cumulative surplus of 5,053.48 tmcft discharged into Bay of Bengal. According to the Water Resources Department (WRD), this volume is 506.83 tmc more than the corresponding period last year, highlighting the impact of continuous heavy rainfall in the upstream catchment areas.
Heavy inflows inundated the Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada across the Krishna and the Dowleswaram Barrage at Rajamahendravaram on the Godavari. To manage the situation, officials lifted all gates on multiple occasions, releasing floodwaters into the sea and issuing first and second flood warnings repeatedly.
Senior officials noted that the prolonged and uninterrupted opening of barrage gates on both rivers has been a rare phenomenon, underlining the intensity of the monsoon floods this year.
The Godavari River, fed by incessant rains in its upper catchments, contributed the largest share of the surplus discharge. From June 1 to October 3 the cumulative floodwater released into the sea from the Dowleswaram Barrage was 3,721.49 tmc ft. During the same period last year, the figure stood slightly higher at 3,826.74 tmc ft.
However, in the previous water year (June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025), Dowleswaram had discharged a staggering 4,149.78 tmc ft of water into the sea. In contrast, Godavari’s consumptive usage of water during this period was only 251.47 tmc ft, which is nearly 20 times less than the floodwater wasted into the sea.
Officials explained that under normal conditions, the Godavari releases around 2,000 to 3,000 tmc annually as surplus. However, in the past two consecutive years, the outflows have exceeded 4,000 tmc ft, underscoring the need for stronger water conservation and storage strategies.
Krishna river also recorded extraordinary levels of discharge at the Prakasam Barrage. The floodwater discharge from the River Krishna has exceeded the five-year record, totalling 1,331.99 tmc ft. In the year 2022-23, the Prakasam Barrage released over 1,331.17 tmc ft. However, this year, the discharge reached 1,331.99 tmc ft from June 1 to October 2.
This figure is almost double the 719.35 tmc ft recorded during the same period last year.
In contrast, Krishna’s consumptive usage of water during this period was only 172.950 tmc ft, which is nearly eight times less than the floodwater wasted into the sea. In the previous water year (2024–25), Prakasam Barrage released 848.63 tmc ft, which has already been far exceeded by this year’s discharge of 1,331.99 tmc ft.
Officials have reported that the Krishna river, which typically discharges between 400 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) and 600 tmc ft of surplus water annually, has experienced an exceptional increase this year. The discharges have already exceeded seasonal averages, showing a two-fold rise. In the 2024-25 year, the flood discharge from the Prakasam Barrage reached 848 tmc. In comparison, the flood discharges for previous years were as follows: 2022-24 recorded 1,331.17 tmc, 2021-22 recorded 256 tmc, and in 2018-19, it was 339 tmc.
Experts and senior engineers from the water resources department (WRD) observe that while floods are a natural occurrence, the significant wastage of freshwater flowing into the sea remains a pressing issue. Despite the release of 5,053 tmc ft of surplus water, only a small portion has been used for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial purposes.
They emphasised the need to prioritise new reservoir projects, interlinking rivers, and groundwater recharge systems to effectively utilise excess water, especially during years with high inflows.
