ADILABAD / KAMAREDDY : Life along the Godavari river has been thrown into disarray as floodwaters continue to rise, inundating homes, shops and fields across Nirmal and Mancherial districts. In Basara, lodges and shops near the temple remain waterlogged, forcing devotees to stay away. Some low-lying areas also remain under a sheet of water.
Thousands of acres of crops between Basara in Nirmal district and Chennur in Mancherial district have been damaged. In Bidralli village of Basara mandal, farmers walked Collector Abhilasha Abhinav through waterlogged fields and flattened crops. She instructed agriculture officials to document the losses, assuring that the government would provide compensation.
Standing on the Basara bridge, the collector witnessed the Godavari flowing at levels which the locals described as “never seen before” due to heavy inflows from upstream reservoirs. She urged residents of low-lying areas to remain on alert. SDRF teams have been stationed in the district, and police have been ordered to maintain pickets to prevent the public from venturing near the river. Officials have also been directed to step up sanitation to avoid disease outbreaks in flood-hit areas.
The rising river has already disrupted life in Nirmal. Patients from the Mother and Child Care Centre were shifted to the general hospital. At least 27 families had to be evacuated to a rehabilitation camp.
In neighbouring Mancherial district, Collector Kumar Deepak inspected water levels on College Road as the river swelled further. With Maharashtra continuing to receive heavy rain, the Sri Ram Sagar and Kadam projects are releasing large volumes into the Godavari. Officials estimated that the Yellampelli project alone has been receiving inflows of around eight lakh cusecs.
The situation is no different in Kamareddy, where Collector Ashish Sangwan visited GR Colony, one of the worst-hit areas. Forty-eight houses were damaged, and families were provided `11,500 each along with utensils and relief kits. Power supply is expected to be restored soon.
In Tadwai mandal, where a house collapsed, officials were asked to provide `5,000 to affected households.
Road connectivity has been hit as well. In Kamareddy town, part of the Hyderabad road near GR Colony was damaged, while in Lingampet, the Yellareddy-Lingampet road remained cut off.
Even major projects have been tested. The 103-year-old Pocharam Project received inflows of 1.8 lakh cusecs—more than double its discharge capacity—but managed to hold.