Swelling Godavari and Krishna sound flood alert for several districts in Telangana

Heavy rains have pushed Telangana into crisis mode, with the Godavari and Krishna rivers swelling above warning levels. Major reservoirs are releasing huge outflows, districts face connectivity disruptions, and excess rainfall across the State is heightening the flood threat.

Hyderabad: Heavy rains over the past few days have plunged several districts in Telangana into crisis mode. Major rivers Godavari and Krishna swelling dangerously putting the State on high alert.

Fed by relentless downpours in its upstream catchments of Maharashtra also, the river is rising rapidly. In Nanded city, hundreds of residents were shifted to safer locations after low-lying areas were inundated.

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Both the Godavari and its tributary Asna river in Marathwada had crossed the danger mark, following days of unprecedented rainfall that has also claimed at least eight lives, damaged homes and devastated crops in the region.
Now it started wreaking havoc in North Telangana districts.

The levels are on steady rise at Basara, Kaleshwaram, Perur and Bhadrachalam impacting the road communications connecting neighbouring pockets in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and also within the State at several places.

In Telangana, all projects along the Godavari basin are under strain. The Sriram Sagar Project is receiving inflows of approximately 3.15 lakh cusecs, leading officials to lift 39 of its gates to manage the surge. Similarly, the Yellampalli Reservoir is discharging an outflow of 5.36 lakh cusecs. Tributaries such as the Taliperu, Jampanna Vagu, Pranahita, and Indravati are all in spate, contributing heavily to the floodwaters.

The impact of the local streams is severe in Bhadradri Kothagudem district’s Cherla Mandal, where the Taliperu Project has seen intensifying flood levels. Authorities lifted six gates to release 8,548 cusecs downstream, aiming to prevent further overflow.

At Bhadrachalam, the Godavari has reached its first warning level of 43 feet, signaling heightened alert for the downstream pockets.
The Krishna Basin is also experiencing above-normal inflows, with outflows recorded at 2.46 lakh cusecs from the Jurala Project, 3.36 lakh cusecs from Srisailam, and 2.87 lakh cusecs from the Nagarjuna Sagar Project.

The State’s cumulative rainfall has hit 950.6 mm, against a normal of 723 mm, marking a 31% excess. Six districts – Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Yadadri Bhongir, Siddipet, Medak and Karimnagar – have recorded “large excess” precipitation, with 60% above normal. Another 18 districts fall into the “excess” category, highlighting the flood risk across the region.

In Mahabubnagar district’s Maktal Mandal, the Chittem Narsireddy Balancing Reservoir on the Peddavagu faced massive inflows from upstream areas after two days of heavy rains. Irrigation officials raised two gates to discharge water downstream.