[2][7] Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was the earliest in a series of large infrastructure projects termed as "modern temples" initiated for achieving the Green Revolution in India.

The Nizam made the British engineers begin the survey work for this dam across the Krishna River in the year 1903.

[8] The project's construction was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 10 December 1955 and proceeded for the next twelve years.

[9] 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.

In 2015, the diamond jubilee celebrations of the project's inauguration were held, alluding to the prosperity the dam has ushered into the region.

[11] The construction of the dam submerged an ancient Buddhist settlement, Nagarjunakonda, which was the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the 1st and 2nd centuries and the successors of the Satavahanas in the Eastern Deccan.

[20] The tail pond is under advanced stage of construction to put to use the pumped storage features of 7 x 100.8 MW units.

It also caused uncertain flows of water into the Krishna River delta area and a shrinkage of the natural wonder "The Kolleru Lake".

The Krishna River was once home to an ecological wonderland of freshwater fish and aquatic population that is now completely depopulated.

It progressed to tapping Esi (Himayat Sagar 1927 – 11mgd) and Manjira (1965–1993 – Majira and Singur dams) for another additional 130 Mgd.

It took a huge leap during 1995–2004 with the commissioning of Krishna river water project (Phases I – III) at a total cost of over ten thousand crores to supply an additional 190Mgd to Hyderabad from Nagarjuna sagar.

The reservoir dead storage water below the 125 m MSL can be fully released into the downstream river/tail pond through the existing diversion tunnel which was in use to divert the river flow during the dam construction.

[citation needed] At present nearly one Tmcft per month or 250 million gallons per day or 350 cusecs is supplied to the Hyderabad city from Nagarjuna Sagar (NS) reservoir.

[29] The minimum draw down level (MDDL) of the PH is 502 feet (153 m) MSL below which water can not be pumped from NS reservoir.

This new balancing reservoir's live capacity is nearly 6 Tmcft above the 502 ft MDDL which is equal to six months water supply to the Hyderabad city.

[31] Sunkishala underground pump house is under construction at an estimated cost of Rs 1450 crores for drawing water up to 462 feet (141 m) MSL from the dead storage.

[32] The Nagarjuna Sagar left canal supplies nearly 130 TMC of water for irrigation needs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.