Krishna River Water Turns Green at Nagarjuna Sagar and Jurala Projects

Krishna River water has turned green at the Nagarjuna Sagar and Jurala projects, raising concerns among local communities. While there were allegations that pollution could be responsible for the change in colour, Pollution Control Board officials who examined the water said pollution was not the cause and attributed the colour change to algae. The green colour has reportedly been observed at the Jurala project for the first time. Irrigation DE Nageshwar Rao inspected the water from a boat on Friday and observed that around 30–40% of the water appeared to have changed colour. Samples were collected and sent for testing, with the results still awaited.

Fishermen alleged that water pollution was causing fish deaths, but DE Nageshwar Rao said there was no evidence to establish a link between pollution and the fish deaths. He also stated that there was no shortage of oxygen for the fish inside the project. Mission Bhagiratha officials who examined the water at Jurala reportedly found no bacteria. Meanwhile, the backwaters near Dayyalagandi close to Nagarjuna Sagar had also turned green recently. Pollution Control Board officials tested the water and said no chemicals were detected. The water near the main Nagarjuna Sagar dam also appeared green on Thursday, with Project SE Mallikarjun Rao attributing the change primarily to algae rising from the bottom.