Second flood warning issued at Prakasam Barrage

Vijayawada: Amid heavy inflows from upstream reservoirs, officials at the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada have discharged more than 6.46 lakh cusecs of floodwater into the sea by lifting 69 out of 70 gates, with one gate remaining inoperative. The surge of water from Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, and Pulichintala projects prompted the Water Resources Department to issue the second flood warning on Sunday morning.

According to officials, the warning was sounded at 10 am, when the outflow rose beyond 5.67 lakh cusecs. The first flood warning was earlier issued on Saturday at 10.45 pm, after discharges crossed 3.97 lakh cusecs. By 8 pm on Sunday, inflows to the barrage touched 6.57 lakh cusecs, while the outflow was regulated at 6.46 lakh cusecs, maintaining a water level of 16 feet. In addition, around 10,652 cusecs were released into the Krishna Eastern and Western canals to meet irrigation requirements.Upstream projects continue to witness massive discharges: the Srisailam Project released over 5.90 lakh cusecs, the Nagarjuna Sagar Project recorded inflows and outflows of about 5.88 lakh cusecs, and the Pulichintala Project received 6.30 lakh cusecs, discharging nearly 6 lakh cusecs downstream.

Officials said they are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with downstream authorities to ensure the safety of residents and prevent untoward incidents. The public have been advised to remain alert, particularly those residing along the Krishna River’s course downstream of the barrage.