Maharashtra Rains Raise Krishna Water Levels, Dams See Inflow Increase
Heavy rainfall in parts of Maharashtra on Monday led to a marginal rise in water levels in the Krishna river and its tributaries, bringing some respite to regions dependent on the river system. Officials from the irrigation department reported that the discharge from Maharashtra stood at approximately 1,32,025 cusecs, an increase of 8,787 cusecs compared to Sunday. The trend is expected to continue as the monsoon progresses.
The increased inflow has been recorded at major reservoirs along the Krishna river in Karnataka. The Lal Bahadur Shastri reservoir at Almatti received an inflow of 1,25,855 cusecs, while the outflow was maintained at 1,30,000 cusecs. The dam's live storage stood at 94.35 tmcft against its full capacity of 123 tmcft, indicating adequate storage for the season at this stage.
Further downstream, the Hippargi barrage recorded an inflow of 1,19,200 cusecs and an outflow of 1,17,700 cusecs. In the Ghataprabha sub-basin, the Raja Lakhamagouda dam at Hidkal currently holds around 36 tmcft of water against its full capacity of 51 tmcft. The inflow into this dam was 20,782 cusecs, while the outflow was a modest 1,765 cusecs, reflecting the dam's role in storing water for irrigation and drinking purposes.
Similarly, the Renuka Sagar dam on the Malaprabha river received an inflow of 11,703 cusecs and released 1,194 cusecs downstream. The steady inflows across these reservoirs underscore the impact of monsoon rains in the catchment areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The Krishna river, one of the major rivers in peninsular India, flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Bay of Bengal. Water-sharing arrangements among these states are governed by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal. The current water levels are being closely monitored by irrigation officials to manage both flood risk and storage requirements.
While the increase in water levels is modest, it provides relief after a period of low rainfall in some parts of the basin. Officials noted that the discharge from Maharashtra has been steadily rising over the past few days, and further increases could occur if the monsoon activity continues. Farmers in the command areas of these reservoirs are optimistic about the availability of water for the coming crop season, though the final picture will depend on rainfall in the coming weeks.
The irrigation department has advised local authorities to stay vigilant about the increasing inflows and to coordinate with downstream districts to ensure safe water management. No flood warnings have been issued so far, officials confirmed.
