Bhadrachalam: Massive water inflow, of around 14.6 lakh cusecs, into the Godavari took the water level past the third warning level of 53.1 feet on Wednesday. The rainwater discharge is expected to reach 18.5 lakh cusecs on Thursday morning, which will take the water level to around 63 feet, which was last breached in August 1983.
As many as 18 villages in the Bhadrachalam division are expected to be flooded, with a red alert issued for the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district.
Authorities said that five lakh cusecs of rainwater are being discharged from the Kadam project in Adilabad, with additional inflows from Indravathi, Pranahita and Taliperu rivers.
So far, around 2,000 residents of low-lying areas have been moved to relief centres in the division.
Connectivity was massively hit as the Bhadrachalam-Vazed road, via Dummugudem, Charla and Venkatapuram, was inundated due to water overflow. Further, the Aswapuram-Pinapaka road will be rendered unusable if the level of the Godavari crosses 55 feet.
Meanwhile, authorities at the Lord Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam appealed to devotees to postpone their pilgrimages due to the flooding of the Godavari.
All mandals of Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts have already received 75 per cent excess rains, compared to average, in July. Irrigation projects of Palair, Wyra and Lankasagar in Khammam are filled to capacity.
