RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM/VIJAYAWADA: Barely four weeks after heavy floods that displaced over one lakh people, Godavari river is in spate once again with heavy inflows following heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the river.
On Thursday morning, when the inflow and outflow of floodwater at Dowleswaram barrage crossed 13.3 lakh cusecs, the flood conservator issued the second flood warning. By 8 pm, the flood levels at the barrage crossed 14 lakh-cusecs mark.
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) director Dr BR Ambedkar said that they were continuously monitoring the situation from the Central Control Room set up at the APDMA office in Vijayawada
“Already six flood relief teams have been deployed. An NDRF team has been deployed at P Gannvaram in Ambedkar Konaseema district, two SDRF teams have been deployed at Ainavalli and Mamdikduru in the district, one NDRF team is stationed at Kunavarm in Alluri Sitrama Raju district and one SDRF team in VR Puram of the same district and another NDRF team has been deployed at Jangareddygudem of Eluru district,” he explained.
Officials monitoring the flood flow at Dowleswaram Barrage said they expect the flood levels to touch 17 feet by Friday night. At present the water level is at 14.6 feet. The water level at Polavaram project spillway was recorded at 36 metres.
Meanwhile, a high alert has been sounded in Godavari delta districts and measures have been initiated to shift people from 135 river islet villages, including 118 in Konaseema, 11 in West Godavari and six in East Godavari districts.
On the other hand, flood situation has worsened in all eight mandals in tribals-dominated Chintur, Yetapaka, Devipatnam, Kunavaram, VR Puram, Velerupadu, Kukkunur and Polavaram mandals, located upstream of the Polavaram project. Flood water inundated several villages and they have been cut off from the outside world with roads getting submerged.
All residents of Rudramkota village in Velerupadu mandal have been shifted to safer places. The medical equipment in the Primary Health Centre at Gowri Devi Peta in Yetapaka mandal have been shifted to a safer place after water entered the village. At Vaddigudem village in VR puram mandal, the people have been shifted to safer places by boats. Meanwhile, East Godavari district Collector Dr K Madhavilatha said that a 24/7 control room has been set up at the Collectorate (8977935609).
With increasing flood levels in the Ainavilli mandal of Ambedkar Konaseema district, water entered into river islet villages including Tanelanka, Tanelanka, Gurajapa lanka, Kuna Lanka, Kamini, Saladivaripalem, Laxmidevilanka, Chinthapalli lanka, Chintavanirevu. Several causeways in the region have submerged in floodwater.
At the GMC Balayogi project between Yanam and Yedurlanka, water level was recorded at 2.64 metres and Rajiv Beach, Riverbay, Puskar Ghat, Tourism boat house, Ferry road, Gurukrishnapuram, areas have been submerged again. In France Thippa, KVR Nagar areas people are pumping out water from houses with motors.
Yanam district administrator Aman Sharma warned people in the low-lying areas. People, who suffered during the flood a few weeks ago, are once again using boats as means of transportation. Given the casualties during the floods a few weeks back, while crossing the flood causeways, people have been warned against venturing into the flooded areas.Ambedkar Konaseema District Collector Himanshu Shukla and Razole and P Gannavaram MLAs Rapaka Varaprasad and Kondeti Chitti Babu alerted people.
NSP gates lifted
Meanwhile, with increasing inflows into Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala, gates of both the projects have been lifted to discharge surplus water. On Thursday evening, the flood discharge levels at both the projects were 4.1 lakh cusecs and 4.4 lakh cusecs, respectively. The floodwater is expected to reach Prakasam Barrage, where the flood outflow is recorded at 1.32 lakh cusecs.
It is expected to cross 4 lakh cusecs by early hours of Friday and the first warning is likely to be issued any time after 2 am on Friday. People living in the low -lying areas on both banks of the river downstream and upstream of Prakasam Barrage have been advised to move to safer places. District administrations of Palnadu, Guntur, Bapatla, NTR and Krishna districts have been alerted.