KHAMMAM/HYDERABAD: In what will be much-needed relief for the people of Bhadrachalam and other areas downstream of Godavari river, inflow into the river at Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) in Nizamabad has drastically decreased, and so has the outflow from the project, thus decreasing the chances of severe flooding downstream.
The rate of inflow at SRSP around 3 pm on Friday afternoon was as much as 2,15,667 cusecs, which decreased to 50,980 cusecs by 7 pm on Saturday. Similarly, rate of outflow from the project was 2 lakh cusecs through 33 RC gates and 6,000 cusecs at the GENCO power station. The outflow on Saturday was nil through the gates and 8,000 cusecs through the GENCO power station.
No heavy rain for 4 days: IMD
The forecast was another piece of good news for people in the State, especially those in the north Telangana districts which faced flooding of rivers due to heavy rains. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that there would only be light (2.5 mm to 15.5 mm) to moderate (15.6 mm to 64.4 mm) rain or thundershowers on Sunday and over the next couple of days, at isolated places in a few districts. There is no forecast of heavy rains anywhere in the State for the next four days. On Saturday, a few of places received just light rains.
Parts of Bhadrachalam inundated
However, the situation was grim in Bhadrachalam of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on Saturday. The water level in Godavari river, which has been receiving huge inflows over the past two days, breached the second warning level of 48 feet by 6 pm.
Due to leakage at a sluice of the flood bank and drainage of backwater, Vista Complex, Annadana Satram, Subashnagar, Kothapet and Ashoknagar areas of the Bhadrachalam town were inundated. The water reached till the steps of the Ramalayam. The district officials deployed high-capacity motors to pump the water back to the river.