Krishna
Krishna is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 6 dams stand on this watercourse and its tributaries and are written up below. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Dams Recorded
- 6
- Coordinates
- 16.48°, 77.13°
About Krishna
The Krishnā 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. The river, also called the Krishnaveni, is 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) long and flows for 282 kilometres in Maharashtra. It is a major source of irrigation in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Krishna River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Krishna in Depth
Course
The Krishna River originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres (4,300 ft), 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. The Krishna River passes through the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Over its 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) length, it flows for 305 km (190 mi) in Maharashtra, 483 km (300 mi) in Karnataka, and 612 km (380 mi) in Andhra Pradesh.
History
Jain literary sources including Kalpasutra and the Nisithacurni describe the region near the Krishnavena (Krishna) River as Abhiradesa (land of the Abhiras), indicating its historical association with the Abhiras.
Pollution and Ecology affect
Most of the years, the river water does not join the sea due to the full utilisation of water mainly in agriculture. The closed river basin of Krishna means that the river ecosystem is on the verge of death. The river receives waste from a large number of cities and the river basin population has increased to 80 million, increasing pollution load many fold 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.
Tributaries
The Krishna River has 13 major tributaries. Its principal tributaries include the Ghataprabha River, Malaprabha River, Bhima River, Tungabhadra River, and Musi River. The Tungabhadra River has a catchment area of 71,417 km2 (27,574 sq mi) and a length of 531 km (330 mi). The Bhima River is the longest tributary of the Krishna River. It has a total length of 861 km (535 mi) and a catchment area of 70,614 km2 (27,264 sq mi).
Three tributaries, Panchganga, Warana, 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.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Krishna River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Krishna: Key Facts
| Length | 1,400 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 1,641 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 258,948 km² |
| Source | Mahabaleshwar |
| Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
| Drainage system | Tungabhadra River |
| Tributaries | Bhima River, Musi River, Koyna River, Tungabhadra River, Tunga River, Malaprabha River, Nira River, Ghataprabha River |
Facts from Wikidata Q193499 (CC0).
Dams on the Krishna
6 dams on the Krishna and the tributaries that feed it, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | River | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Srisailam Dam | Krishna | 145 m | 1,670 MW | 1980 |
| Nagarjuna Sagar Dam | Krishna | 124 m | 816 MW | 1967 |
| Ghataprabha Dam (Hidkal) | Ghataprabha | 53.3 m | 32 MW | 1977 |
| Almatti Dam | Krishna | 52 m | 290 MW | 2005 |
| Malaprabha Dam (Renuka Sagar) | Malaprabha | 44.1 m | — | 1973 |
| Prakasam Barrage | Krishna | 12 m | — | 1957 |
Srisailam Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Andhra Pradesh / Telangana, India
Srisailam Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh / Telangana, India, standing 145 m (476 ft) high and completed in 1980. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 1,670 MW. The structure impounds Srisailam Reservoir.
The Srisailam Dam is a gravity dam built on the confluence of Tungabhadra River and Krishna River. Its hydroelectric power station is India's 2nd largest by capacity. It is located in the Nallamala Hills near the temple town Srisailam.
The dam spans a deep gorge between the districts Nandyal (Andhra Pradesh) and Nagarkurnool (Telangana). It has a maximum height of 143 metres (470 ft) and a length of 512 metres (1,680 ft). The reservoir has a surface area of 616 square kilometres (238 sq mi) and a gross storage capacity of 216 tmcft (6.1 km3). The active storage capacity is 178.74 tmcft (5.061 km3) corresponding to the full reservoir level at 270 metres (885 ft) MSL. The minimum draw-down level of the reservoir is at 215 metres (705 ft) MSL and the corresponding dead storage is 3.42 tmcft (0.097 km3). There are two turbine halls: an underground building on the left bank with six 150 MW (200,000 hp) reversible Francis-pump turbines for pumped-storage operation (each turbine can pump 200 m3/s) and a semi-underground building on the right bank with seven 110 MW (150,000 hp) Francis-turbine generators.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Srisailam Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 145 m (476 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 1,670 MW
- Impounded river
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Srisailam Reservoir
- Location
- Andhra Pradesh / Telangana, India
- Year completed
- 1980
- Height rank
- #32 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #39 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.0883°, 78.8972°
Notable: Deep limestone gorge dam; second highest generating capacity in India.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Srisailam Dam ranks #32 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #39, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Nandyal (77 km), Kurnool (97 km), Ongole (137 km).
More about Srisailam Dam
History
The Srisailam project began in 1960, Initially only as a power project. After several delays, the main dam was finally completed twenty years later in 1980 July 26. In the meantime the project was converted into a multipurpose facility with a generating capacity of 770 MW (1,030,000 hp) by its second stage which was completed in 1987. The dam is to provide water for an estimated 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi). Under the right bank branch canal 790 km2 (310 sq mi) in Kurnool, Nandyal and Kadapa districts will have assured irrigation. From the initial modest estimate of ₹38.47 crore for a power project the total cost of the multipurpose project was estimated to cross ₹1000 crore in its enlarged form.
Power generation optimization
At present, the initial inflows into Srisailam reservoir are stored excessively without being used for power generation. The flood water fills the remaining empty Srisailam reservoir quickly and most of the flood water overflows into the downstream Nagarjunasagar reservoir without being used for power generation. The endeavor shall be to fill the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir fully with the uniform water released through the power generating units.
The existing right bank power station (770 MW) can be converted into pumped storage hydroelectric power (PSHP) to operate in pumping mode when the downstream Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir level is above 560 feet (171 m) MSL.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Srisailam Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Srisailam Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 512 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q1552235 (CC0).
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Masonry dam · Telangana / AP, India
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a masonry dam on the Krishna in Telangana / AP, India, standing 124 m (407 ft) high and completed in 1967. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 816 MW. The structure impounds Nagarjuna Sagar.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a masonry dam across the Krishna River at Nagarjuna Sagar, which straddles the border between Nalgonda district in Telangana, and Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh. The dam provides irrigation water to the districts of Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem districts of Telangana and also Krishna, Guntur, Palnadu,, Prakasam, and parts of West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is also a source of electricity generation for the national grid.
Constructed between 1955 and 1967, the dam created a water reservoir with gross storage capacity of 11.472 billion cubic metres (405.1×10^9 cu ft), its effective capacity is 6.92 cubic km or 244.41 Tmcft. The dam is 124 metres (407 ft) tall from its deepest foundation and 1.6 kilometres (5,200 ft) long with 26 flood gates which are 13 metres (42 ft) wide and 14 metres (45 ft) tall. It is jointly operated by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was the first in a series of major infrastructure projects termed as "modern temples" initiated for achieving the Green Revolution in India. It is also one of the earliest multi-purpose irrigation and hydroelectric projects in India.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry
- Structural height
- 124 m (407 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 816 MW
- Impounded river
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Nagarjuna Sagar
- Location
- Telangana / AP, India
- Year completed
- 1967
- Height rank
- #41 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #56 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.5739°, 79.3134°
Notable: One of the world's largest masonry dams; submerged ancient Buddhist university at Nagarjunakonda.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam ranks #41 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #56, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Khammam (120 km), Guntur (124 km), Hyderabad (128 km).
More about Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
History
The Nizam made the British engineers begin the survey work for this dam across the Krishna River in the year 1903.
The project's construction was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 10 December 1955 and proceeded for the next twelve years. Raja Vasireddy Ramagopala Krishna Maheswara Prasad, popularly known as the late Muktyala Raja, was instrumental in the construction of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam through active political lobbying and the donation of one hundred and ten million GBP in 1952 and 22,000 ha (55,000 acres) of land. It was the tallest masonry dam in the world at that time, built entirely with local know-how under the engineering leadership of Kanuri Lakshmana Rao.
Tourism
Nagarjunasagar Dam is one of the popular weekend getaways. It is 65 km away from Nalgonda, 97 km away from Suryapet, 146 km away from Guntur, 184 km away from Vijayawada and 152 km away from Hyderabad. Thousands of tourists visit the dam when gates are open in monsoon season (around September / October).
Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh – Has to be reached by a boat from boating point operated by Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation or TSTDC.
Ethipothala Falls near Macherla in Andhra Pradesh – The water released from the Nagarjuna Sagar right bank canal, the Chandravanka and Suryavanka streams keeps the water fall live or flowing during the rainy season.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 4,865 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q1112896 (CC0).
Ghataprabha Dam (Hidkal)
Earth-fill / Masonry dam · Karnataka, India
Ghataprabha Dam (Hidkal) is an earth-fill / masonry dam on the Ghataprabha, in the Krishna basin, in Karnataka, India, standing 53.3 m (175 ft) high and completed in 1977. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 32 MW. The structure impounds Raja Lakhamagouda Reservoir.
Hidkal is a village in Belgaum district in the southern state of Karnataka, India.
Hidkal dam is built around the Dhupdal weir (a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow), a 70 km-long-canal built by the British in 1897. The first phase of the irrigation project was intended to irrigate around 45,000 hectares of land.
The Hidkal reservoir across the Ghataprabha river in Hidkal village and 40 km of the canal length were built in the second phase. After the third phase, the project aims to irrigate 3.3 lakh hectares of land with a total capacity of 51.16 tmcft of water. Now, after a drought of three seasons, its total storage has been reduced to 6 tmcft, including dead storage of around 2 tmcft.
Every year, 2 tcmft of drinking water is released from Hidkal to Bagalkot.
Hidkal also beautiful gardens, nurseries. The Hunnur inspection Bungalow on bank of backwater and hunnur fort are attractions.
HDP High School is one of the schools located there.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Hidkal (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Earth-fill / Masonry
- Structural height
- 53.3 m (175 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 32 MW
- Impounded river
- Ghataprabha (Krishna)
- River basin
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Raja Lakhamagouda Reservoir
- Location
- Karnataka, India
- Year completed
- 1977
- Height rank
- #83 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #93 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.1500°, 74.6333°
Notable: Impounds Ghataprabha River in Belagavi, supporting vast sugarcane agriculture.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Ghataprabha Dam (Hidkal) ranks #83 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #93, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Belgaum (35 km), Kolhapur (75 km), Sangli (79 km).
Almatti Dam
Concrete dam · Karnataka, India
Almatti Dam is a concrete dam on the Krishna in Karnataka, India, standing 52 m (171 ft) high and completed in 2005. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 290 MW. The structure impounds Lal Bahadur Shastri Reservoir.
The Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam is also known as Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka, India which was completed in July 2005. The target annual electric output of the dam is 560 MU (or GWh).
The Almatti Dam is the main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Irrigation Project; the 290 MW power station is located on the right side of the Almatti Dam. The facility uses vertical Kaplan turbines: five 55MW generators and one 15MW generator. Water is released in to the Narayanpur reservoir after using for power generation to serve the downstream irrigation needs. Two separate facilities namely, Almatti 1 Powerhouse and Almatti II Powerhouse each separated by distance do provide power generation capabilities.
During the initial stages of the project, estimated costs were projected as ₹ 1,470 crores, but following the transfer of project's management to the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), the estimated cost was reduced by over fifty percent to ₹ 674 crores. KPCL eventually completed the project at an even lower cost of ₹ 520 crores. The entire dam was finished in less than forty months, with construction ending in July 2005.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Almatti Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete
- Structural height
- 52 m (171 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 290 MW
- Impounded river
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Lal Bahadur Shastri Reservoir
- Location
- Karnataka, India
- Year completed
- 2005
- Height rank
- #85 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #73 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.3308°, 75.8889°
Notable: Main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Project in North Karnataka.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Almatti Dam ranks #85 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #73, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Bijapur (59 km), Hospet (128 km), Hubli (135 km).
More about Almatti Dam
Almatti Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 1,565 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q3444765 (CC0).
Malaprabha Dam (Renuka Sagar)
Masonry Gravity dam · Karnataka, India
Malaprabha Dam (Renuka Sagar) is a masonry gravity dam on the Malaprabha, in the Krishna basin, in Karnataka, India, standing 44.1 m (145 ft) high and completed in 1973. The structure impounds Renuka Sagar.
- Dam type
- Masonry Gravity
- Structural height
- 44.1 m (145 ft)
- Impounded river
- Malaprabha (Krishna)
- River basin
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Renuka Sagar
- Location
- Karnataka, India
- Year completed
- 1973
- Height rank
- #96 of 115 indexed
- Coordinates
- 15.8167°, 75.0833°
Notable: Built near ancient cave temples of Badami and Aihole, creating Renuka Sagar lake.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Malaprabha Dam (Renuka Sagar) ranks #96 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m).
Nearest cities: Hubli (51 km), Belgaum (62 km), Sangli (128 km).
Prakasam Barrage
Barrage dam · Andhra Pradesh, India
Prakasam Barrage is a barrage dam on the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh, India, standing 12 m (39 ft) high and completed in 1957. The structure impounds Krishna Delta Basin.
The Prakasam Barrage is a 1,223.5-metre-long (4,014 ft) tidal barrage across the Krishna River connecting Vijayawada and Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The barrage serves also as a road bridge that spans a lake, formed by the barrage wall. The three canals associated with the barrage run through the city of Vijayawada, crossing it and giving it a Venetian appearance.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Prakasam Barrage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Barrage
- Structural height
- 12 m (39 ft)
- Impounded river
- Krishna
- Reservoir
- Krishna Delta Basin
- Location
- Andhra Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 1957
- Height rank
- #113 of 115 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.5075°, 80.6067°
Notable: Historic road-barrage across Krishna in Vijayawada, continuing Sir Arthur Cotton's 1855 irrigation work.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Prakasam Barrage ranks #113 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m).
Nearest cities: Vijayawada (3 km), Guntur (26 km), Machilipatnam (70 km).
More about Prakasam Barrage
Overview
The idea of constructing a dam across the river Krishna dates from 1798. It began in the hands of Captain Buckle and was revised in 1839 and 1841 by Captain Best and Captain Lake. After the approval of Major Cotton, the board of Directors of the East India Company approved it on 5 January 1850. The dam was begun in 1852 and completed in 1855. It cost Rs 1.75 crore in those days and seems to have paid the then government a return of 18%. It used to irrigate 7 lakh acres.
Later, the State Government constructed a bridge that was named after Tanguturi Prakasam, the first Chief Minister of Andhra (a state formed in 1953, which later became Andhra Pradesh in 1956 after the merger of Telugu speaking districts of former Hyderabad State).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Prakasam Barrage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Krishna: Quick Answers
- Where is Krishna?
- Krishna is located in India, at 16.4817° N, 77.1345° E.
- Are there dams on the Krishna?
- Yes. YearMaps records 6 dams on the Krishna and its tributaries: Srisailam Dam, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, Ghataprabha Dam (Hidkal) (on the Ghataprabha), Almatti Dam, Malaprabha Dam (Renuka Sagar) (on the Malaprabha), Prakasam Barrage.
- What is the tallest dam on the Krishna?
- Srisailam Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Krishna, at 145 m (476 ft), completed in 1980.
- Which dam on the Krishna generates the most electricity?
- Srisailam Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Krishna: 1,670 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.