Srisailam inflows surge, project likely to reach full capacity within a week

Currently, the Srisailam project holds 160 TMC of water against its gross storage capacity of 215 TMC, leaving a flood cushion of approximately 55 TMC

Hyderabad: The Srisailam project in the Krishna basin is witnessing a surge in inflows, adding substantially to its present storage. On Tuesday, the project recorded average inflows of 1.35 lakh cusecs, contributing an additional 12 to 13 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) per day to its storage.

This is in addition to the cumulative inflow of 127 TMC received in June 2025. It marks a good start to the water year in the basin for both the Telugu states.

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Currently, the Srisailam project holds 160 TMC of water against its gross storage capacity of 215 TMC, leaving a flood cushion of approximately 55 TMC.

At the present rate of inflows, officials estimate that this cushion could be filled in less than a week, potentially necessitating the release of surplus water to the downstream Nagarjuna Sagar project. To manage the rising water levels, the project started scaling up discharges primarily to support operations at its hydel power stations.

The surge in inflows at Srisailam is attributed to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas of the Krishna river, impacting upstream projects across the basin. The Almatti dam in Karnataka is receiving inflows of 91,000 cusecs, while the Narayanpur dam, also in Karnataka, is recording 72,000 cusecs.

The Priyadarshini Jurala project in Telangana is also experiencing substantial inflows, contributing to the increased water flow downstream.

Irrigation officials are closely monitoring the situation to ensure effective flood management. The current storage in Nagarjuna Sagar remains critically low at 139 TMC as against its gross storage capacity of 312 TMC.