2nd flood warning issued at Prakasam Barrage

Vijayawada: Within a span of five hours, the water resources department (WRD) issued both the first and second flood warnings at the Prakasam Barrage here on Thursday, following the heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Montha. Several rivulets and streams have overflowed, leading to a sharp rise in the Krishna River inflows from the upper catchment areas.

According to officials, heavy flood inflows began late Wednesday night. By Thursday evening, the flood level at the Prakasam Barrage reached 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 as the flow surged beyond 5.67 lakh cusecs.

The Pulichintala project is currently facing significant flooding, with inflows exceeding 5 lakh cusecs. In response, the project is releasing approximately 5.50 lakh cusecs by fully opening all crest gates to manage the water flow from its catchment areas.

Krishna Central (KC) division executive engineer and river conservator Ravi Kiran said the flood inflows are expected to rise further, possibly reaching 6 lakh cusecs and later falling. “All 69 crest gates of the Prakasam Barrage have been opened, except one which is non-operational,” he stated.

He said that currently, over 5.67 lakh cusecs of water is being discharged into the sea. He added that water releases to canals have been temporarily stopped to manage the flood levels.

The EE attributed the situation to the extremely heavy rains in the upstream catchment areas due to Cyclone Montha, which triggered flash floods in Krishna’s tributaries, rapidly increasing inflows. He urged all departments and the public to remain alert and take necessary safety precautions as the water levels continue to rise.