First Flood Warning Issued as Godavari Water Rises; Bhadrachalam on Alert

August 20, 2025

Bhadrachalam: Authorities issued the first flood warning for Bhadrachalam on Wednesday as the Godavari River’s water level continued to climb due to heavy inflows. The level at Bhadrachalam surpassed 43 feet in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, prompting officials to issue the initial warning.

Downstream Releases and Alerts
Downstream releases were running at about 9.32 lakh cusecs, with nearby communities along the Godavari’s course being alerted to potential danger. Both the Godavari and Krishna rivers, which traverse Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, remained in flood conditions, with the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada also under the first warning level.
APSDMA has alerted residents downstream of the Prakasam Barrage as inflows of roughly 4.92 lakh cusecs were being discharged downstream. Upstream reservoirs recorded massive inflows, prompting the partial crest-gate lifting of 69 gates across various facilities.

Dams and River Inflows
Major dams along the Krishna and Godavari basins were receiving substantial inflows. Srisailam dam on the Krishna reported an inflow of about 4.69 lakh cusecs, with 4.41 lakh cusecs released downstream after lifting 10 gates. Nagarjuna Sagar in Telangana showed an inflow of 4.11 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 3.91 lakh cusecs, with 26 crest gates opened to release floodwater. The dam stood near its maximum level, at 584 feet against a full reservoir level of 590 feet.
Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram in Andhra Pradesh recorded an inflow of 7.38 lakh cusecs.

Authorities’ Warnings and Preparations
APSDMA’s Managing Director Prakhar Jain urged residents near the Krishna, Godavari, and Tungabhadra rivers to stay vigilant and avoid crossing overflowing streams and canals. District administrations along the river systems have been put on alert, with relief and rescue budgets in place. The state government has allocated Rs 16 crore for emergency responses. SDRF teams have been deployed, and island communities have been warned.

Parallel Developments in Telangana
In parallel, heavy rainfall in catchment areas has driven large inflows into reservoirs in the united Nizamabad district of Telangana, with both Nizam Sagar and Sriram Sagar receiving substantial waters. At Sriram Sagar, inflows were about 1.50 lakh cusecs, and 26 gates were opened, releasing around 1 lakh cusecs downstream. The reservoir stood at 1087.1 feet, just below its full level of 1091 feet, with storage about 66.78 TMC of 80.5 TMC capacity. Nizam Sagar in Kamareddy district was also receiving inflows (around 70,000 cusecs), with 16 gates lifted to release floodwater downstream, and the water level at 1403.50 feet against a 1405-foot full reservoir level.

Ongoing Situation and Next Steps
Officials warned residents to remain cautious as the flood situation develops and said further updates would be provided as conditions change.