Godavari calms down in Telangana, Andhara Pradesh still affected

Bhadrachalam, KAKINADA: Officials of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district heaved a sigh of sigh of relief as the Godavari receded on Tuesday. The water level in the river at Bhadrachalam was 39.7 feet at 8 pm on Tuesday.

The RTC services that were cancelled between Bhadrachalam and Charla were revived when the roads were inundated on Monday have not been restored. The water in Nara-cheeralu Pradesham at Parnasala is slowly receding. The field level staff were asked to be alert on the floods and the flood situation in the year is volatile.

In AP, five feet of flood water had receded in Devipatnam mandal after things improved in Bhadrachalam. As many as 4,500 people were evacuated to 21 camps and food, medical facilities and others were being provided to the flood victims.

People in flood-affected East and West Godavari are haunted by mosquitoes and they can’t use ceiling fans to drive away the pests due to power cuts.

They blamed their plight on the cofferdam built on the Godavari to divert water away from the Polavaram project construction works. The cofferdam had led to water inundating their villages, they said. “Now, we are facing problems and the officials are living in safe rooms.’’ said, A.S. Lakshmi of Pudipalli of Devipatnam mandal.

According to sources, less than 10 per cent of the people from the flood-hit areas went to shelters provided by the government and 20 per cent of people were living on the hillock areas.

Those who stayed back in the villages are facing hardships due to the proliferation of mosquitoes and are spending the nights in darkness. Power has been cut in the area as a precautionary step to prevent electrocution.
District revenue officer Ch. Sathibabu said that power supply cannot be restored another three more days till the flood waters receded.

The water level in the Godavari continued at 14.60 feet at Dowlai-swaram barrage and a total of 14 lakh cusecs of water was being discharged into the Bay of Bengal. The second warning is still continuing at the Dowlaiswa-ram barrage. It is expected that the flood waters may be recede by Thursday morning.

Road links have been restored between Chin-turu and Bhadrachalam and from Kunavaram to Bhadrachalam. The cau-seways from Chinturu to VR Puram and Chin-turu to Kunavaram have been restored. The causeways at Konase-ema like Ayinavill lan-ka, Appanapalli and others are still under water.

In West Godavari, the Kademma bridge and Kothuru causeways are still in submerged.