Krishna River

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Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox river

The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godavari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The river, also called the Krishnaveni, is Template:Convert long and flows for 282 kilometres in Maharashtra.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is a major source of irrigation in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.<ref>Template:Cite webThe Krishna is the second largest east flowing peninsular river. It originates near Mahabaleshwar, Jor village (Sahayadri), Maharastra. It flows through Karnataka before entering Telangana.</ref>

Course

The Krishna River originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar, at an elevation of about Template:Convert, in the state of Maharashtra in central India. From Mahabaleshwar, it flows to the town of Wai, and continues east until it empties into the Bay of Bengal.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The Krishna River passes through the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Over its Template:Convert length, it flows for Template:Cvt in Maharashtra, Template:Cvt in Karnataka, and Template:Cvt in Andhra Pradesh.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Tributaries

The Krishna River has 13 major tributaries.<ref name=":0" /> Its principal tributaries include the Ghataprabha River, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Tungabhadra River and Musi River.<ref name=":0" /> The Tungabhadra River has a catchment area of Template:Cvt and a length of Template:Cvt.<ref name=":0" /> The Bhima River is the longest tributary of the Krishna River.<ref name=":1" /> It has a total length of Template:Cvt and a catchment area of Template:Cvt.<ref name=":0" />

Three tributaries, Panchganga, Warna and Yerla, meet the Krishna River near Sangli. Hindus consider these places holy. It is said that Dattatreya, one of the Hindu deities, spent some of his days at Audumber on the banks of the Krishna.Template:Citation needed

Kudalasangama, North Karnataka

Kudalasangama<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> (also written as Kudala Sangama) is located about Template:Convert from the Almatti Dam in Bagalkot district of Karnataka state. The Krishna and Malaprabha rivers merge here. The Aikya Mantapa or the holy Samādhi of Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat Hindu sect along with the Linga, which is believed to be self-born (Swayambhu), is here and the river flows east towards Srisailam (another pilgrim center) Andhra Pradesh.

Sangameswaram of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh is a famous pilgrim center for Hindus where Tungabhadra and Bhavanasi rivers join the Krishna River. The Sangameswaram temple has now been submerged by the Srisailam reservoir, and visible to devotees only during the summer when the reservoir's water level falls.<ref>Srisailam project manual</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Krishna Basin

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Map of watershed

The Krishna Basin extends over an area of Template:Cvt which is nearly 8% of the total geographical area of the country. This large basin lies in the states of Karnataka (113,271 km2), Telangana, Andhra Pradesh (76,252 km2) and Maharashtra (69,425 km2).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fifth-largest basin in India.<ref name=":1" />

Most of this basin comprises a rolling and undulating country, except for the western border, which is formed by an unbroken line of the Western Ghats. The important soil types found in the basin are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils, and saline and alkaline soils.

An average annual surface water potential of 78.1 km3 has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 58.0 km3 is utilizable water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The culturable area in the basin is about Template:Cvt, which is 10.4% of the total cultivable area of the country. As the water availability in the Krishna River was becoming inadequate to meet the water demand, the Godavari River was linked to the Krishna River by commissioning the Polavaram right bank canal with the help of the Pattiseema lift scheme in the year 2015 to augment water availability to the Prakasam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The irrigation canals of Prakasam Barrage form part of National Waterway 4. The Krishna-Godavari delta is known as "Rice Granary of India."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Mineral deposits

Template:See also The Krishna River basin is endowed with rich mineral deposits such as oil and gas, coal, iron, limestone, dolomite, gold, granite, laterite, uranium, diamonds, etc. The following are the few noted deposits: Template:Div col

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Flora and fauna

Template:See also A widespread area near the Krishna River holds rich flora and fauna. The last surviving Mangrove forests in the Krishna estuary have been declared as the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is the home to a large number of resident and migratory birds. Fishing cats, otters, Estuarine crocodiles, spotted deer, sambar deer, blackbucks, snakes, lizards and jackals can also be spotted in the sanctuary. The sanctuary also supports rich vegetation with plants like Rhizophora, Avicennia, and Aegiceros. The following are a few other wildlife sanctuaries located in the Krishna Basin.

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Waterfalls

Gokak Falls on Ghataprabha River

Template:See also The following are a few other waterfalls located in the river basin Template:Div col

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Water outflows to the sea

The yearly water outflows to the sea in a water year from 1 June 2003 to 31 May 2022 (19 years) are given below

Waterflow to the sea<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Water year 3-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 7-08 8-09 09-10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22
Water outflows (tmcft) 5 14 113 968 885 296 437 407 215 56 394 73 9 55 0 39 798 1252 485

Interstate water sharing

Template:Main At present, the award of the Bachawat tribunal dated 31 May 1976 is applicable for sharing the water available in the river among the riparian states. The Brijesh Kumar tribunal award given on 29 November 2013 was challenged by Andhra Pradesh in the Supreme Court and the case has been pending since then.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The newly created state of Telangana also approached the Supreme Court demanding a fresh tribunal hearing to secure its water needs on an equitable basis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Even though the river does not flow through Tamil Nadu, the Telugu Ganga Project is a canal system that brings Krishna River water to that state's capital city of Chennai with the agreement of all basin states.

Places and temples

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Pre Historic sites of Middle Krishna-Tungabhadra Valley in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

This river is revered by Hindus as sacred. The river is also believed to remove all the sins of those who bathe in it. The centre of attraction is the Krishna Pushkaram fair which is held once in twelve years on the banks of the Krishna River. There are many pilgrimage places in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on the course of the river.Template:Citation needed The first holy place on the river Krishna is at Wai, known for the Mahaganpati Mandir and Kashivishweshwar temple. It has seven ghats along the river. Temples like Dattadeva temple, which is revered by the people of Maharashtra, are located on the banks of Krishna at Narsobawadi, ankalkhop Audumbar near Sangli. Yadur is one of the important holy places in Karnataka which is located on the bank of Krishna. Veerabhadra temple is a famous temple. Many devotees visit this place from Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Also, located on the banks of the river Krishna is the Sangameshwar Shiva temple at Haripur. Some of the other temples are the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada, Ramling temple near Sangli, Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Srisailam), Amareshwara Swamy Temple, Vedadri Narasimha Temple, Vadapalli temple in Nalgonda, Dattadeva temple, and Sangameshwara Shiva temples at Alampur and Gadwal in Telangana.Template:Citation needed

Bhilawadi town in Maharashtra has a large stone structure constructed across the Krishna River bank, also known as Krishna Ghat. This structure also includes one large and one small temple constructed in the middle of the river. This structure is believed to have been constructed in 1779.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bridges

Panorama of Prakasam Barrage and Railway bridges on Krishna near Vijayawada

The Krishna River is spanned by several bridges along its course, some of which are listed below.

  • Krishna Bridge, Wai, Maharashtra – This bridge was demolished in 2021 which was located in the Dharmpuri Peth area of the town of Wai, and was one of the oldest bridges that were built by the British in India. It spans the Krishna over nine kamans (arches) and is made of black rock. The bridge serves as a flood mark (when the water rises to the level of the road on the bridge) for the "Waikar" people.
  • Irwin Bridge, Sangli – This is one of the oldest, historic and largest bridges over the Krishna that were built by the British. The Irwin Bridge, which is built of reddish stone, has two passages where one can climb down to the river in the middle of its span to view the water.
  • Ankali Bridge, Sangli Maharashtra – This bridge is a major link between Sangli and Kolhapur districts. At this point, there are three bridges, one for railway and two for roadways. Out of two roadway bridges,one bridge in the direction towards Miraj was built in the Nineteenth century under the British Administration. It is still in operation. The railway bridge was constructed at the time of the laying of the Kolhapur to Pune rail link. The contractor for the rail bridge was V. R. Ranade & Sons from Pune. The construction of this railway bridge and culverts on railway routes in nearby regions were constructed by them in 1882–1884.
  • Kudachi – Ugar Railway bridge was built by the British in 1891.
  • B. Soundatti Bridge, Raibag – This is also one of the oldest bridges built during the British rule. This bridge connects Maharashtra to Karnataka state.
  • Tangadagi Bridge, This is one of the oldest bridges that connects the Bijapur and theBagalkot districts of Karnataka. God Neelambika Temple is there at the bank of the Krishna River.
  • Chikkapadasalagi bridge, is one of the oldest bridges, built in the British era it connects Jamakhandi and Vijayapur.
  • Jambagi Bridge, Jamkhandi : Recently built bridge connects Athani, Bijapur and Jamkhandi.
  • Galagali Bridge of Galagali village, Bagalkot: very important bridge that connects many towns and villages of Bagalkot and Vijayapur districts.
Railway bridge across Krishna near Vijayawada
  • Krishna Bridge near Shakti Nagar, Raichur district was built in memory of the travel undertaken by Nawab Javvadjaha Bahadur, the prince of Hyderabad, to Raichur in the early 20th-century. The bridge was named after the prince as Sirat-e-joodi. The construction began in 1933 and completed in 1943<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In October 2009, heavy floods occurred, isolating 350 villages and leaving millions homeless,<ref> Template:Cite web</ref> which is believed to be the first occurrence in 1000 years. The flood resulted in heavy damage to Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Guntur, Krishna and Nalagonda Districts. The entire city of Kurnool was immersed in approximately Template:Cvt water for nearly 3 days.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Water inflow of Template:Cvt was recorded at the Prakasam Barrage, which surpassed the previous record of Template:Cvt recorded in the year 1903.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Krishna River is the second largest east-flowing river of the peninsula. The flood waters of Krishna and Godavari rivers can be fully utilized by exporting water to other east-flowing peninsular rivers up to the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu by constructing a coastal reservoir on the Bay of Bengal sea area.

Dams

NSRS Srisailam Dam
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam Gates view

There are many dams constructed across the Krishna River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col

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Hydroelectric power stations

The Krishna River is one of the rivers whose water energy is harnessed to a large extent by various hydroelectric power stations in India.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following is the list of hydroelectric power stations excluding small and medium installations.

Almatti Dam with its right bank power house
Name of the project Rated Power (in MW) Comments
Koyna Hydroelectric Project 1,920
Mulshi Dam 300 Power station with Pumped-storage hydroelectricity units
Thokarwadi Dam 72
Ujjani Dam 12 Power station with Pumped-storage hydroelectricity units
Almatti Dam 290
Bhadra Dam 39
Tungabhadra Dam 127
Jurala Hydroelectric Project 240
Lower Jurala Hydro Electric Project 240
Srisailam Dam 1,670 Power station with Pumped-storage hydroelectricity units
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam 960 Power station with Pumped-storage hydroelectricity units
Nagarjuna Sagar tail pond 50
Pulichinthala Dam 120

Pollution

Most of the years, the river water does not join the sea due to the full utilisation of water mainly in agriculture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The closed river basin of Krishna means that the river ecosystem is on the verge of death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The river receives waste from a large number of cities and the river basin population has increased to 80 million enhancing pollution load many folds into the river. Adequate average and minimum continuous environmental flows to the sea are not taking place in most of the years constricting salt export and leading to the formation of saline and sodic alkaline soils in the lower reaches of the river basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> High alkalinity water is discharged from the ash dump areas of many coal-fired power stations into the river which further increases the alkalinity of the river water whose water is naturally of high alkalinity since the river basin is draining vast areas of basalt rock formations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following are the few coal-fired power stations located in the river basin.

Thermal power stations in Krishna River basin
Name of Power Station Rated Power (in MW)
Vijayawada Thermal Power Station 1,760
Raichur Thermal Power Station 1,470
Bellary Thermal Power station 1,700
Yermarus Thermal Power Station 1,600
Solapur Super Thermal Power Station 1,320
Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project 2,400
Yadadri Thermal Power Plant 4000

Floods

In 2009, the river experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall in Karnataka, which forced the opening of the Almatti and Narayanpur dam gates on the Krishna River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2024 floods

In early September 2024, Vijayawada, a city in Andhra Pradesh, India, experienced severe flooding triggered by exceptionally heavy rainfall that began on 31 August 2024. The floods resulted in at least 35 deaths in NTR district and significantly impacted approximately 270,000 people in Vijayawada alone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During this time, the Krishna River also experienced unprecedented flooding, and due to continuous heavy rainfall, the river saw record inflows, with the Prakasam Barrage discharging Template:Convert per second of water, the highest in its 70-year history. This massive release was necessary as the barrage reached its capacity, and all 70 gates were opened to manage the excess water. The inflows were intensified by torrential rains in the upstream regions, including the Pulichintala and Nagarjuna Sagar projects. The barrage's total capacity of Template:Convert per second was overwhelmed, leading to the temporary suspension of vehicle and pedestrian movement across the structure for safety reasons. The floods inundated low-lying residential areas in Vijayawada and several villages downstream, causing significant damage to infrastructure, homes and agricultural land.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2025 floods

In August 2025, the Krishna River basin in Karnataka faced renewed flood threats following continuous heavy rainfall. The Almatti Dam released 2.5 lakh cusecs of water, and the Krishna River at Rajapur Barrage recorded inflows of 1.4 lakh cusecs. Authorities issued flood alerts, evacuated residents from vulnerable areas, and established relief centres to manage the situation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

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References

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