KAKINADA: The officials at Sir Arthur Cotton (SAC) barrage in Dowleswaram issued the first flood warning on Saturday afternoon as river Godavari continued to be in spate with inflows reaching 11.75 lakh cusecs mark (as of 7 pm). People downstream the barrage were put on high alert. All the 175 gates of Sir Arthur Cotton barrage were lifted to regulate the water and the outflow was recorded to be 11.76 lakh cusecs.
While the AP State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) sounded caution, the forecast says that the inflows are likely to increase further as heavy rainfall may continue for the next two-three days. APSDMA commissioner K Kanna Babu said all the officials concerned were alerted. “As a precautionary measure, two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have also been positioned for any exigencies. We have issued directions to people not to venture into the river for bathing or by steamers/boats,” he explained.
Five villages downstream Dowleswaram barrage and at least eight villages upstream were submerged. Officials are shifting people from the submerged villages to safer places. At several places along the river course, road connectivity was cut off due to overflowing flood water. Following heavy rains, landslides took place in Chinturu mandal, cutting off road connectivity to 15 villages. Till the boulders are removed, the connectivity cannot be restored, but with continuing rains, it is expected to take some time.
According to East Godavari Collector D Muralidhar Reddy, roads in four villages in P Gannavaram mandal, Udimudilanka, G Pedapudi Lanka, Arigelavaripeta, Burugulanka and Sivaji Lanka were destroyed. Lanka of Tanelanka and Gurajapu Lanka villages in Mummidivaram mandal are submerged.
“Four mechanised boats have been arranged for public transport. People in the flood-affected villages were shifted to rehabilitation centres. Arrangements for food and water have been made.
Eight mobile teams have been arranged for three mandals in Yetapaka division, six teams for Rampachodavaram division, two in Ramachandrapuram division and one in Kakinada division,” he explained. Meanwhile, 18 villages in Devipatnam mandal , located along the course of the river, were inundated. Road connectivity between Chinturu to Bhadrachalam, Motu (Odisha), Chhattisgarh, Kunavaram and VR Puram was cut off.
Road connectivity between Chinturu and Rajamahendravaram was cut off, affecting 42,000 people in 121 villages. Officials have shifted pregnant women and chronic patients to Chinturu headquarters as a precautionary measure.
Polavaram works hit
According to the CWC, water level in Kunavaram of East Godavari has passed the warning level. At Polavaram, the inflow was 11.65 lakh cusecs and is expected to further increase to about 12.6 lakh cusecs by Sunday. “Polavaram project is likely to get an inflow of 11.65 lakh cusecs by Saturday night and is expected to rise to 12.6 lakh cusecs by Saturday,” the CWC report noted.
With massive inflows, the works of the project have come to a halt. Superintending engineer M Nagi Reddy said that the works were temporarily suspended as the spillway area has been inundated. Spillway concreting, girders fixation and spillway slab works were underway before heavy inflows reached the site. The official said that the works will resume once the flood recedes. Water level in river Sabari in East Godavari is also likely to rise rapidly.
Krishna gets steady inflows
River Krishna is also receiving steady inflows. Srisailam reservoir (as of 6 pm) has an inflow of 1.47 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 54,000 cusecs. The CWC said that since the dam is about 65 per cent filled, it is expected that inflows in the next four-five days may increase its storage substantially.
In Vijayawada, all 70 gates of Prakasam barrage were lifted.
As of 6.30 pm, a surplus water of 57,500 cusecs was recorded, while the inflow was close to 80,000 cuecs.“Due to extremely heavy rainfall in downstream areas of river Krishna in Warangal, Khammam, Nalgonda and Krishna Districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, river Krishna at Prakasam Barrage is getting inflows above its threshold limit and inflow forecasts have been issued for the same,” the CWC said.
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