Godavari, Krishna in Spate, Officials on High Alert

Vijayawada: With both Godavari and Krishna rivers receiving heavy inflows from their upstream catchment areas following incessant rainfall, the state government has issued a high alert and the officials are working to ensure the safety of the people in flood-prone areas on the courses of these rivers in East Godavari and NTR districts.

At Dhavaleswaram of East Godavari district, the officials of the water resources department discharged nearly 4.09 lakh cusecs of Godavari water from Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage by lifting all the 175 crest gates by two meters into the sea at 6 pm, Saturday. As the inflows continue, the authorities are expected to discharge another five to six lakh cusecs of water from the barrage by Saturday night.

At the Polavaram project, the authorities are working to discharge 8.82 lakh cusecs of water by 8 am on Sunday as the water level in the Godavari river is still rising. The authorities are closely watching both sides of the Godavari course, especially the vulnerable areas, to avoid any untoward incidents.

In the NTR district, Krishna river received an inflow of nearly 7,000 cusecs of water from upstream and the authorities are discharging almost 6,500 cusecs of the Prakasam Barrage to avoid flooding. As all the irrigation canals are already flowing with the flood water to the brim, the officials have stopped releasing water into the canals for the cultivation of crops.

Talking to the Deccan Chronicle in Vijayawada, water resources department superintending engineer T.J.H. Prasad said, “Unless the discharge at the barrage reaches nearly three lakh cusecs, there need not be any panic, and we are all on guard to ensure safety to the people.”

NTR district collector G. Srujana held a review meeting with the officials in the wake of IMD’s forecast that the district will receive heavy rainfall in the next 28 hours. She called for measures to be taken to avoid any loss of life and damage to crops. She has ordered to make rehabilitation arrangements and keep essentials like rice, oil, dals and candles ready. She called to ensure the safety of the people living on top of the hills in the city and instructed the officials to evacuate the people from vulnerable houses and shift them to safety.