VIJAYAWADA/RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM/ELURU: A 40-year-old disabled woman died on Friday morning after the roof of the Sub-treasury Office at Kothapet of Rajamahendravaram caved in even as heavy rains lashed the Godavari districts for the fourth consecutive day.
Mattaparti Adilakshmi, a native of Gangalakurru Agraharam of Ambajipeta mandal, was rushed to a hospital, but died while undergoing treatment.
Heavy rains and the rising water level of the Godavari have thrown normal life in East and West Godavari districts out of gear. It is after nearly a decade that Dowleswaram Barrage in East Godavari district received inflows crossing the 12-lakh-cusec mark. The Disaster Management Authority has sounded
alert.
According to officials, water levels at the barrage reached 43.7 feet by 8 pm and has since been increasing. All 175 gates of the barrage were lifted to let out flood waters into the sea.
Meanwhile, officials of East Godavari district have begun shifting people from lanka villages (islets on the Godavari) to safer locations. A relief camp was set up in Rajamahendravaram. As many as 139 people from Bridge Lanka, 38 from Yedurlanka and 19 from Kogari Lanka were shifted to the shelter in the morning and more people are being moved to various other locations.
Around 1,000 people from different villages along the river in Devipatnam mandal were evacuated and shifted to a relief camp at Pothavaram RR Colony. Rescue personnel are on standby to shift more people if the flood levels continue to rise. “A control room has been set up at ITDA, Rampachodavaram, with toll free no.1800 4252123,” said ITDA PO Nishant Kumar.
West Godavari collector K Bhaskar directed officials to ready essential commodities for supply to flood-affected areas in agency mandals.
Four country boats were kept on standby at Kothuru Causeway to enable tribals to move to Polavaram and other areas. Polavaram project works have been interrupted due to the flooding of the Godavari.
Due to floods in Yerrakalva and Isuka Kalva, 175 acres of farm lands have been inundated and 15 villages have been marooned.
The Mella Vagu is overflowing at a bridge between Koida, Bhudevipatnam. In Kukunuru mandal, 15 villages were inundated. Gundeti Vagu rivulet is in spate and a breach occurred near Kukunuru and about 15 villages were cut off.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials concerned to be prepared to face any eventuality. Pointing out at the possibility of low lying areas downstream Dowaleswaram Barrage getting submerged, he directed officials to be prepared to evacuate people.
“Ensure that there is no loss of life and that property damage is minimized. Alert people in low lying areas,” he instructed the officials to stock up relief camps. NDRF teams from Visakhapatnam have left for East Godavari district. With regard to the situation in the Krishna, officials informed the Chief Minister that in view of copious inflows into Srisailam Dam, gates of the project would be lifted on Saturday morning and water will be released downstream to Nagarjuna Sagar. By the end of the month, around 200 TMC of water is expected to flow into the Krishna river.
Officials have also been told not to waste rainwater. As against the required 968 TMC of water, only 441.71 TMC of water is stored in reservoirs of the State. He opined that if the flood water in Krishna was diverted to projects in Rayalaseema, the water requirement for the Kharif crops could be managed.
Meanwhile, in Srikakulam district, water level at Gotta Barrage on the Vasmadarhara subsided to 34.57 metres against the full reservoir level of 38.10 metres.
However, all 22 gates at the barrage were opened to a height of 2 metres. While the inflow into the barrage is 27,211 cusecs, the same is being discharged as outflow.