Around 3,296 people living in flood-hit areas of the nine mandals of Bhadradri Kothagudem district were moved to temporary relief camps, as the Godavari and its tributaries continued to be in spate.
The swollen Godavari kept people living in low-lying areas along its course on the edge as it flowed above the second flood warning level of 48 feet at Bhadrachalam on Thursday evening. The forecast of heavy rains in the upper reaches of the river and continuous release of high-volume floodwaters from the projects in the upstream necessitated the evacuation drive, official sources said.
People from the flood-affected areas in Bhadrachalam, Dummugudem, Charla, Aswapuram, Manuguru, Pinapaka, Gundala, Kothagudem and Laxmidevipalli mandals were sheltered in the relief camps.
Highway flooded
Road connectivity to dozens of villages in the Bhadrachalam Agency remained snapped for the second day in a row as the streams submerged various low-level stretches on the main roads, including the Bhadrachalam-Charla highway.
Normal life in the entire tribal region remained crippled owing to unrelenting rains and flash floods in forest streams. Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar reviewed the evacuation drive and the flood preparedness plans in Bhadrachalam on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, the Minister said that the water level in the Godavari is expected to cross the third warning level (danger mark) of 53 feet in the next 24 hours as the inflows into the river are likely to increase to 15 lakh cusecs due to heavy discharge of floodwaters from the projects in the upstream.
He said high alert is being maintained all along the river course and flood prone areas in the district to deal with any emergency situation, and urged people of low-lying areas to remain in the relief shelters till the flood threat completely subsides.
