The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) on Thursday issued a flood alert as both the Godavari and Krishna rivers continued to witness heavy inflows, swelling reservoirs across the State to near full capacity. Officials have urged people living in low-lying areas to remain vigilant as streams and rivulets are overflowing in several regions.

At Bhadrachalam, the Godavari level touched 52 feet, while at Kunavaram it stood at 20.12 metres and at Polavaram at 12.76 metres. At the Dowleswaram barrage, inflows and outflows were measured at 11.19 lakh cusecs, prompting the continuation of the first flood warning. “Residents in vulnerable areas should stay alert and avoid risk-prone zones,” APSDMA Managing Director Prakhar Jain cautioned.

The Krishna river basin is also witnessing massive discharges. At Srisailam, inflows were 5.40 lakh cusecs against outflows of 5.19 lakh cusecs. Nagarjuna Sagar reported balanced inflows and outflows of 4.32 lakh cusecs, while Pulichinthala recorded inflows of 4.23 lakh cusecs and outflows of 4.19 lakh cusecs. At the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada, inflows and outflows stood at 5.14 lakh cusecs.

Meanwhile, reservoir storage levels across Andhra Pradesh have shown significant improvement over last year, offering relief for irrigation and drinking water supply. The Srisailam reservoir in Nandyal district has 197.46 tmc of storage, amounting to 91.50% of its 215.81 tmc gross capacity, with a flood cushion of 18.35 tmc. Nagarjuna Sagar is holding 291.96 tmc (93.56%), and Pulichinthala 31.88 tmc (69.65%). On the Godavari, the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in East Godavari is full at 2.93 tmc, with equal inflows and outflows of 11.12 lakh cusecs. The Prakasam Barrage has also reached full storage at 3.07 tmc.

Overall, Andhra Pradesh’s major and medium reservoirs together hold 776.06 tmc, which is 77.6% of their gross capacity of 1,000.06 tmc, compared to 722.43 tmc (72.24%) recorded on the same date last year. Major reservoirs currently store 727.11 tmc (80.04%) against last year’s 686.89 tmc (75.61%), while medium reservoirs hold 48.95 tmc (53.45%), up from 35.53 tmc (38.8%).

Among basins, the Godavari has shown the sharpest rise, with storage increasing from 4.77 tmc last year to 15.35 tmc (57.49%). The Pennar basin has also improved significantly to 177.99 tmc (60.56%), compared to 106.78 tmc (36.33%) a year ago. The State has a healthy flood cushion of 224.01 tmc, including 115.91 tmc in the Pennar basin alone.

Officials said while the improved storage is encouraging, steady inflows from upstream States could alter the situation quickly. Round-the-clock monitoring is under way to ensure both flood management and water security in the coming months.