A.P.’s half-empty reservoirs offer flood cushion; low levels in Rayalaseema raise concerns

Operating at 57.3% capacity (178.88 TMC), the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir is absorbing an inflow of 20,541 cusecs while restricting its outflow to 1,800 cusecs. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO The collective water storage across Andhra Pradesh’s major reservoir network stands at 49.5% of its total capacity, holding 547.56 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) out of a combined capacity of 1,106.36 TMC as on Tuesday. While the half-empty status leaves a substantial state-wide “flood cushion” (space available in a reservoir to store additional water during heavy rains and floods) of 558.8 TMC to absorb potential monsoonal surges safely, it also exposes sharp regional disparities between the northern river basins and the water-stressed southern districts.The Godavari river system is currently handling discharges. At the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Konaseema, heavy upstream runoff has pushed both inflows and outflows to a matching 98,619 cusecs. As a run-of-river diversion barrage with a gross capacity of just 2.93 TMC, the structure is discharging the full flood load directly to the delta to prevent inundation, officials say.Further south in the Krishna Basin, major dams are performing critical flood moderation. The Nagarjuna Sagar is absorbing an inflow of 20,541 cusecs while restricting its outflow to 1,800 cusecs. Operating at 57.3% capacity (178.88 TMC), the reservoir retains a massive flood cushion of 133.17 TMC. Upstream, the Srisailam reservoir sits at 45.3% capacity (97.82 TMC) with zero inflows and a regulated release of 7,450 cusecs. The controlled releases downstream ensure that the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada remains stable, recording a balanced inflow and outflow of 7,181 cusecs at nearly full capacity (3.05 TMC), say officials. Somasila holds only 20%In contrast to the surges along the Godavari, key storage structures in the Pennar basin present a stark deficit. The Somasila reservoir holds just 15.60 TMC against its 78 TMC capacity (20% full), leaving a huge unutilised volume of 62.41 TMC. Similarly, Kandaleru reservoir stands at 25.4% capacity with 17.31 TMC in storage.While these low levels provide a safe buffer against late-monsoon localised rainstorms, water resource engineers caution that unless inter-basin transfers or late monsoonal spells refill the Pennar system, agricultural belts in Nellore and Rayalaseema could face irrigation supply constraints during the upcoming dry season.Close monitoringAndhra Pradesh Water Resources Department authorities are closely monitoring inflows from Karnataka and Telangana. Heavy discharges from upstream control structures, including 15,058 cusecs from Almatti, 12,202 cusecs from Narayanapur, and 10,028 cusecs from Tungabhadra, are expected to maintain steady inflows into Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar over the coming days, ensuring stable municipal water supply and sustained hydroelectric power generation across the region. Published - September 22, 2026 07:44 pm IST