For the first time in 18 years, the gates of the Nagarjuna Sagar was opened in July.
Published Jul 29, 2025 | 3:52 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 29, 2025 | 3:52 PM
Nagarjuna Sagar (File pic).
Synopsis: The Krishna River basin, spanning Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, is experiencing heavy inflows due to early and heavy monsoon rains. Key reservoirs, including Srisailam, Jurala, Nagarjuna Sagar, Pulichintala, and Prakasam Barrage, are nearing or exceeding significant storage levels, ensuring water security for the Kharif season.
The crest gates of Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) were lifted on Tuesday, 29 July, to release water downstream as the inflow into the reservoir neared its full storage capacity.
It was for the first time that the NSP gates were opened in July in 18 years. The release of water from the reservoir is good news for farmers in both Telugu states, as they heavily depend on the River Krishna for their farming activities.
According to officials, 78,060 cusecs of water are being discharged through NSP’s 14 gates. The full-reservoir level of the dam is 590 feet, and the water level has touched 587.20 feet.
As of Tuesday, all reservoirs on the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were holding 547 tmcft of water, which is 92 percent of the gross capacity of 589.6 tmcft.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy formally released the water downstream from Nagarjuna Sagar by lifting the gates as minister in charge of Nalgonda district, Adluri Laxman, looked on.
Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy was also expected, but he returned home from Begumpet in the morning, reportedly miffed by the delay of Uttam Kumar Reddy’s arrival. The three ministers were scheduled to fly down in a chopper.
Uttam, who arrived after the departure of Komatireddy, flew to the project site along with Laxman to release the water.
The project waters 22.12 lakh acres. Under the left canal, the area under cultivation is about 10.38 lakh acres, which includes 6.3 lakh acres in Telangana and 4.08 lakh acres in Andhra Pradesh.
In Telangana, the project serves 1.46 lakh acres in Nalgonda, 2.3 lakh acres in Suryapet, and 2.54 lakh acres in Khammam. The left bank canal runs for a distance of 180.75 km.
The project is the lifeline for both states, as the water released into the right and left canals irrigates large tracts of land, besides letting water down to the Krishna Delta.
The inflows into Nagarjuna Sagar Project increased as reservoirs across the Krishna River basin, including Srisailam, Jurala, and Pulichintala, along with the Tungabhadra Dam, are receiving significant inflows due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The huge water inflows brought relief to farmers as well as policymakers. The inflows would also address drinking water requirements and ensure hydropower generation.
The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, located across the Krishna River on the border of Nalgonda district in Telangana and Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh, has been filling up rapidly for the past few days. Its storage has crossed 305 TMCft (thousand million cubic feet) as against its full storage capacity of 312.04 TMCft, as the inflows are of the order of two lakh cusecs, particularly from Srisailam.
On 24 July, as water levels kept increasing, water was released into the right bank canal for use in Guntur, Prakasam, and parts of Krishna and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh through link canals and extensions. Similarly, Telangana began drawing water through the left bank canal a few days earlier, supporting irrigation in districts like Nalgonda, Suryapet, and Khammam.
The NSP irrigates 1.85 million acres in the Krishna Delta region, supporting crops like paddy, sugarcane, and cotton in Andhra Pradesh, and paddy, cotton, and chillies in Telangana. The dam also supplies nearly 1 TMCft per month (250 million gallons per day) to Hyderabad, meeting about 50 percent of the city’s drinking water needs.
The Krishna River basin, spanning Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, is experiencing heavy inflows due to early and heavy monsoon rains. Key reservoirs, including Srisailam, Jurala, Nagarjuna Sagar, Pulichintala, and Prakasam Barrage, are nearing or exceeding significant storage levels, ensuring water security for the Kharif season.
Srisailam Dam, located upstream of Nagarjuna Sagar, is a critical reservoir for both states, with a capacity of 215.81 TMC. As of July 27, 2025, it holds 199.2 TMC (92% of capacity) with inflows of 1,11,982 cusecs and outflows of 93,000 cusecs to Nagarjuna Sagar.
The dam is receiving water from the Tungabhadra River, Jurala Project, and upstream dams like Almatti and Narayanpur in Karnataka. Heavy rains in the Krishna basin have pushed Srisailam’s water level to 883 feet, close to its full reservoir level of 885 feet, prompting controlled releases to manage flood risks.
The Priyadarshini Jurala Project in Telangana is also receiving substantial inflows, with more than 1.5 lakh cusecs, necessitating the release of water downstream to reservoirs like Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar. Jurala’s storage is almost full—1045 feet, supporting irrigation and hydropower generation.
Downstream, the Pulichintala reservoir, which has 45.7 TMC capacity, is now holding 28.64 TMC (62 percent). The inflows were of the order of about 30,000 cusecs, but they will increase as water is now being released from Nagarjuna Sagar.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
