KHAMMAM: With the increasing water level of the Godavari in Bhadrachalam, residents on both sides of the river are getting growingly worried due to the fresh memories of last year’s floods. The floods last year resulted in the submergence of 79 villages and the displacement of nearly 20,000 families, who had to seek refuge in flood shelters.
Many people were unable to save their household items as the floods struck suddenly. The damage caused by the floods amounted to crores worth of property, including government infrastructure.
During last year’s flood, the floodwater level in the Godavari rose to 71.3 feet, marking one of the highest recorded flood levels in history since the 1986 flood, when it reached 75.4 feet.
The areas affected by the floods in the temple town included the temple surroundings, Ayyappa Colony, Kotha Colony, Ashoknagar Colony, Subashnagar Colony, Reddysatram area, Revenue Colony, and other areas.
The current rise in water level due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment area of the Godavari is a cause for concern not only for the residents of Bhadrachalam town but also for the 79 surrounding villages. The people have been demanding a permanent solution to prevent such floods.
‘No progress on flood banks’
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao visited Bhadrachalam after the floods last year and assured the residents that the issue would be permanently resolved. However, these assurances have not yet materialised, and the proposals for constructing flood banks on both sides of the river are still in the preliminary stages.
Residents of several colonies of the town have been complaining about the lack of maintenance of the sluices on the flood banks. The neglect of these sluices has resulted in the submergence of colonies due to the overflowing drain and rainwater.
K Sandeep from Revenue Colony alleged that the officials have been unable to divert the water from the drain and backwater into the river and also failed to prevent the leakage of floodwater from the river into the colonies through the sluices.S Ram Prasad, Executive Engineer with the Irrigation department, said that they have submitted a line estimate for the construction of flood banks on both sides of the river.
However, preparing detailed estimates is a challenging task that involves overcoming numerous obstacles, he added.