Concerns As Inflows Into Srisailam Reservoir Start Declining

Kurnool: Against hopes, Srisailam Reservoir is witnessing a steady decline in water inflows, raising concerns about the early release of water for irrigating crops downstream.

As of now, the reservoir is receiving 1.10 lakh cusecs, but is releasing 1.17 lakh cusecs to manage water levels in downstream reservoirs.

Inflows include 32,034 cusecs from Jurala, 47,803 cusecs through the spillway and 30,728 cusecs from Sunkesula. For power generation, 68,330 cusecs are being diverted—33,163 cusecs to the right powerhouse and 35,315 cusecs to the left powerhouse. Live storage at 5 p.m. on Sunday stood at 202 TMC feet, against the full reservoir capacity of 215 TMC feet.

Currently, only one spillway gate is open. Officials fear a repeat of the 2014 situation, when the release of water had been followed by a sharp fall in inflows, leaving authorities to wait for fresh rains to replenish the reservoir.

Significantly, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had ceremonially released water from Srisailam on July 8 after performing Jala Harathi to the Krishna River. At the time, the reservoir had almost been full, with inflows being around 1.70 lakh cusecs.

Anticipating continued heavy inflows, irrigation officials requested the government to proceed with the release and the AP CM obliged. However, inflows have started declining significantly within a week.

Traditionally, water from Srisailam is released in August or September, with rare early releases in July. Past July releases include July 7, 2007; July 31, 2014; July 23, 2021; July 28, 2023; July 29, 2024; and July 8, 2025.

In a related development, Kurnool MP B. Nagaraju and MLAs B. Dastagiri and G. Jayasurya released 500 cusecs of water from Sunkesula barrage into the KC Canal for agricultural needs. They performed traditional pujas at the barrage before the release. They requested farmers to use the water responsibly and ensure its equitable distribution.