With the floods continuing, the villagers residing along the Godavari river bund are in panic in the Eluru and Konaseema districts. Officers on flood duty have been put on alert in the tail-end areas of West Godavari district.
The flood level at Bhadrachalam in Telangana was put at 43 feet on July 23 (Sunday). The officials here were discharging 9 lakh cusecs downstream.
The water level at Polavaram stood at about 11.6 metres, and the discharge into the sea was 8 lakh cusecs. At the Sir Arthur Cotton (SAC) barrage at Dowleswaram, the water level stood at 10.5 feet. Irrigation officials were discharging about 7.8 lakh cusecs downstream.
The officials said the first warning level was continuing (43 feet) in the Godavari, and teh flood might increase slightly by Monday morning. Instructions were given to the officers concerned take measures to prevent breaches, and evacuate people in case of an emergency.
Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission (CWC) officials said that the flood inflow might rise in the Godavari further due to release of water from the upstream projects, rains, and overflowing streams in the catchment areas.
Teams from the departments of Revenue, Fire, NDRF, SDRF, Medical, and Transport were asked to monitor the situation round the clock, particularly in the villages along the river and low-lying areas.
Special officers were deployed in the flood-prone mandals in Eluru district, and the officers were asked to monitor supply of medicines, groceries, drinking water, and vegetables to the villagers in the flood-hit habitations, said Collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh.
“Priority should be given to sanitation to prevent stagnation of rainwater. The Medical and Health Department personnel have been instructed to clear garbage, prevent stagnation of water, clean drainages and roads, and spray bleaching powder to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases,” said Konaseema district Collector Himanshu Shukla.
Boats were kept ready to shift villagers of Kanakayalanka and Peddalanka if the floodwater level rises further. “Boating has been suspended as the river is in spate,” said West Godavari district Collector P. Prasanthi.
