A better understanding of intra/inter-annual streamflow variability and trends enables more effective water resources planning and management for current and future needs. This paper investigates the variability and trends of streamflow data from five stations (i.e. Ashti, Chindnar, Pathgudem, Polavaram, and Tekra) in Godavari river basin, India. The streamflow data were obtained from the Indian Central Water Commission and cover more than 30 years of mean daily records (i.e. 1972–2011). The streamflow data were statistically assessed using Gamma, Generalised Extreme Value and Normal distributions to understand the probability distribution features of data at inter-annual time-scale. Quantifiable changes in observed streamflow data were identified by Sen’s slope method. Two other nonparametric, Mann–Kendall and Innovative Trend Analysis methods were also applied to validate findings from Sen’s slope trend analysis. The mean flow discharge for each month (i.e. January to December), seasonal variation (i.e. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) as well as an annual mean, annual maximum and minimum flows were analysed for each station. The results show that three stations (i.e. Ashti, Tekra, and Polavaram) demonstrate an increasing trend, notably during Winter and Spring. In contrast, two other stations (i.e. Pathgudem, Chindnar) revealed a decreasing trend almost at all seasons. A significant decreasing trend was observed at all station over Summer and Autumn seasons. Notably, all stations showed a decreasing trend in maximum flows; remarkably, Tekra station revealed the highest decreasing magnitude. Significant decrease in minimum flows was observed in two stations only, Chindnar and Pathgudem. Findings resulted from this study might be useful for water managers and decision-makers to propose more sustainable water management recommendations and practices.