• The Krishna is the second-largest east-flowing river of the Peninsula.
• The river rises at Mahabaleshwar near Jor village in Maharashtra and meets the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is bounded by the Balaghat range on the north, Eastern Ghats on the south and east, and Western Ghats on the west.
• The river is about 1,400 km long and causes heavy soil erosion during the monsoon season.
• 75.86% of the total area is covered with agricultural land.
• The Krishna forms a large delta with a shoreline of about 120 km.
• Almatti Dam, Srisailam Dam, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, and Prakasham Barrage are some of the major dams constructed on the river.
• The river’s flow undergoes great fluctuation during the year, limiting its usefulness for irrigation.
• Important urban and tourist centers on the bank of the river include Satara, Karad, Sangli, Bagalkot, Srisailant, Amaravati, and Vijayawada.

Tributaries of Krishna River

• Right Bank:
  • Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra are major right-bank tributaries.
• Left Bank:
  • Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Halia, Musi, Paleru, and Munneru are major left-bank tributaries.

Bhima:

• Bhima originates in Bhimashankar hills near Karjat on the western side of Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
• It flows southeast for 725 km through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh states.
• Important temples located on the banks of the river include Bhimashankar, Siddhatek, Siddhivinayak Temple of Ashtavinayak Ganesh, Pandharpur Vithoba Temple, Sri Dattatreya Temple, and Sri Kshetra Rasangi Balibheemasena Temple.

Musi:

• Musi River, a tributary of the Krishna River, originates in Anantagiri Hills near Vikarabad, Rangareddi district, 90 km west of Hyderabad.
• In 1920, the Osmansagar reservoir was constructed across the river at Gandipet village.
• Another important dam is Himayat Sagar, and Hussain Sagar Lake was built on a tributary of the River Musi. Together, they act as a source of water for Hyderabad.
• Musi River is also the venue for water festivals such as boating races, decorated boating contests, and river swimming tournaments.

KOYNA:

• Rises in Mahabaleshwar in Satara district of Maharashtra
• Flows in a North-South direction
• Famous for the Koyna Dam, which is the largest hydroelectric project in Maharashtra
• Reservoir is called Shivasagar Lake
• Dam is situated in Koyna Nagar in the Western Ghats
• Joins the Krishna River at Karad
• About 100 m in width and slow-flowing

PANCHGANGA:

• Flows through the borders of Kolhapur
• Formed by four streams: Kasari, Kumbhi, Tulsi, and Bhogawati
• Begins at the Prayag Sangam confluence
• Continues in a larger pattern with the flow of waters received from the rivers
• Has a wide alluvial plain north of Kolhapur
• Falls into the Krishna at Kurundvad

DUDHGANGA:

• Right-bank tributary of the Krishna River
• Important river of the Kolhapur district
• Kallammawadi Dam built on the river in collaboration with the Karnataka State

GHATAPRABHA:

• Originates in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 884 m
• Flows eastward for a distance of 283 km across Karnataka and Maharashtra states
• Confluence with the Krishna River at Almatti
• Gokak waterfall is a noted tourist attraction
• Ghataprabha Project is a hydroelectric and irrigational dam across the river

MALAPRABHA:

• Originates in Kanakumbi of Belgaum District in Karnataka, at an altitude of 792 m
• Flows for a distance of 304 km and joins the Krishna River at Kudalasangama in Bagalkot district in Karnataka
• Navilatirtha Dam is constructed near Munavalli in Belgaum District
• Famous temples of Aihole, Pattadakal, and Badami are located on the Banks of this river

TUNGABHADRA:

• Formed by the confluence of two rivers, Tunga and Bhadra, in the state of Karnataka
• Flows through the plains to a distance of 531 km
• Mingles with the Krishna at Gondimalla, near the famous Alampur Jn in Mahaboobnagar District of Andhra Pradesh
• Varada, Hagari, and Handri are the main tributaries of the Tungabhadra
• Raichur Doab is the wedge of land that lies north of the Tungabhadra River
• Major urban centers on the river include Harihar, Hospet, Hampi, Mantralayam, and Kurnool.

Projects on Krishna River

• Important projects on the Krishna River include Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Nagarjunasagar, Malaprabha, Bhima, Bhadra, and Telugu Ganga.
• Major hydro power stations in the basin are Koyna, Tungabhadra, Sri Sailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Almatti, Naryanpur, Bhadra.
• The Tungabhadra Project aims to produce hydro-electricity, provide irrigation and municipal water supply, and control floods. A dam has been constructed across the Tungabhadra river near Hospet in the state of Karnataka.
• The Srisailam Project created a reservoir named Srisailam Sagar or Neelam Sanjjeva Reddy Sagar. It has a large dam constructed across the Krishna river in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was constructed across the Krishna river straddling the borders of the Nalgonda and Guntur districts. It aimed at bringing the Green Revolution.
• The Prakasam Barrage was constructed across the Krishna river near Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Ghatprabha Project has been executed across the Ghatprabha river near Chandgad in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra.
• The Bhima Project has been executed across the Bhima river in the Solapur district in Maharashtra.

Resources in Krishna Basin

• The Krishna Basin has rich mineral deposits and potential for industrial development.
• Iron and steel, cement, sugar cane vegetable oil extraction, and rice milling are important industrial activities in the basin.
• Recently, oil has been found in the basin which could impact future industrial development.

Industry in Krishna Basin

• Major urban centers in the basin include Pune and Hyderabad.
• Hyderabad is the state capital of Telangana and a major IT hub.
• Pune has several automobile and IT industries and is a major education center.

Drought and Floods in Krishna Basin

• Some parts of the basin, including Rayalaseema area of Andhra Pradesh, Bellary, Raichur, Dharwar, Chitradurga, Belgaum, and Bijapur districts of Karnataka, and Pune, Sholapur, Osmanabad, and Ahmedanagar districts of Maharashtra are drought-prone.
• The delta area of the basin is subject to flooding, with the river bed continuously raised due to silt deposition.
• Coastal cyclonic rainfall of high intensity and short duration worsens the flooding problem.