Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu checks flood currents at Prakasam barrage in Vijayawada on Thursday. | Photo credit: KVS GIRI
The Water Resources Department (WRD) issued the first and second flood warnings within five hours at the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada on Thursday following extremely heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Montha.
Several creeks and tributaries in the Krishna basin overflowed, leading to a rapid increase in tributaries from the upper basins.
According to officials, the heavy flooding started late Wednesday night. On Thursday evening, the flood level in the Prakasam barrage reached about 15 feet above the crest. The first flood warning was issued at 1:45 pm when the inflow crossed 3.97 lakh cusecs, followed by the second warning at 6:45 pm when the flow crossed 5.67 lakh cusecs.
The Pulichintala project also saw inflows in excess of 5 lakh cusecs, prompting officials to release around 5.50 lakh cusecs downstream by fully opening all ridge gates for pressure regulation.
Krishna Central (KC) divisional executive engineer and river conservator Ravi Kiran said all 69 crest gates of the Prakasam barrage, except one which was under maintenance, had been raised to release water into the sea.
“Currently more than 5.67 million cusecs of water is being released. Canal releases have been temporarily stopped to handle the flood levels,” he said.
The official noted that the increase was due to flash floods in the tributaries of the Krishna due to extremely heavy rainfall in the upstream catchments. He urged all departments and the general public to remain alert and take safety precautions as the tide is expected to rise further before receding.
Published – 30 Oct 2025 20:44 IST
