Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · Facts as of 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. Rivers
| River | Facts in AP |
|---|---|
| Godavari | Enters AP after Bhadrachalam, cuts through the Papi hills, splits at Dowleswaram into the Gautami and Vasishta branches enclosing Konaseema |
| Godavari tributaries | Sabari (with Sileru), joins near Kunavaram |
| Krishna | Flows past Srisailam and Vijayawada; delta in Krishna and Bapatla districts; meets the sea near Hamsaladeevi |
| Krishna tributaries | Tungabhadra (joins near Kurnool/Alampur), Handri, Paleru, Munneru |
| Pennar (Penna) | Rises in Karnataka (Nandi hills); flows through Anantapur, Kadapa and Nellore; tributaries Chitravati, Papagni, Kundu, Cheyyeru |
| North-coastal rivers | Vamsadhara, Nagavali (Srikakulam), Sarada, Champavathi |
| South rivers | Swarnamukhi (Srikalahasti), Gundlakamma (Prakasam) |
2. Major projects
| Project | River | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Polavaram (Indira Sagar) | Godavari | National project under the AP Reorganisation Act; multipurpose; right canal links Godavari water to the Krishna |
| Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, Dowleswaram | Godavari | Rajahmundry; original anicut by Cotton (1852) |
| Prakasam Barrage | Krishna | Vijayawada; feeds the Krishna delta canals |
| Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna | Shared with Telangana; right canal serves Guntur, Prakasam, Palnadu |
| Srisailam | Krishna | Shared; right-bank power house in AP; Pothireddypadu head regulator feeds Rayalaseema |
| Pulichintala | Krishna | Palnadu — flood moderation and storage for the delta |
| Somasila | Pennar | Nellore — major storage; feeds Kandaleru |
| Tungabhadra canals | Tungabhadra | High-level and low-level canals from the TB dam (in Karnataka) irrigate Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa |
| K. C. Canal | Tungabhadra | Kurnool–Cuddapah canal, 19th century |
| Pattiseema lift | Godavari → Krishna | Lifts Godavari water into the Polavaram right canal to the Krishna (2015) — an early Godavari–Krishna link |
| Handri–Neeva, Galeru–Nagari, Veligonda, Telugu Ganga | Krishna water to Rayalaseema & Prakasam | Telugu Ganga also carries Krishna water to Chennai for drinking |
| Vamsadhara, Thotapalli, Jhanjavathi | North-coastal rivers | Srikakulam–Vizianagaram |