RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The water level at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage slightly increased this year for the first time in this rainy season on Saturday. As a precautionary measure, boat services on the Godavari River have been suspended.
According to Cotton Barrage’s head works department, out of 175 gates, 28 gates were lifted and surplus water was released at a discharge rate of 80,000 cusecs into the sea by Saturday morning.
Nearly more than 5000 tmc of water flowed through the barrage and was released into the sea. According to the executive engineer of head works Kasi Visveswararao, the water level at the barrage is 8.95 feet. Since the gates have been opened at the barrage, an alert has been sounded in Konaseema and West Godavari districts.
Here it should be noted that on the same day last year, about 18 lakh cusecs of water flowed and discharged from the Cotton barrage. The entire low-lying areas in Devipatnam, Kukkunur, Polavaram, Velerupadu, Chintur, Kunavaram, Yatapaka and VR Puram mandals were submerged.
The water in river Godavari at Bhadrachalam on July 16, 2022, had been above the danger level and the flood level at 70 feet mark. However this year so far, heaps of sand are still visible in the river Godavari and water inflow is not on the expected lines.
Now keeping in consideration signs of flood with heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the river, tourism boat operations have been suspended on a precautionary note. Boat owner association representative said that if the flood recedes, boat operations are likely to resume from Monday.