KAKINADA: More than 300 cattle including cows and bullocks were washed away in the floods in the Godavari between Kovvuru and Rajamahendravaram on Saturday.
A temple priest Ramakrishna Prabhu of Kovvuru has been running a goshala in an islet for the past 40 years. Due to heavy floodwaters, many of the cows, bullocks and other cattle were washed away in the river. Kovvur RDO Mallibabu, along with a National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) team, police and other officials rushed to the spot, but they could trace only one cow at the goshala. A team is conducting a rescue operation.
In another incident, a deer which was washed away to the river bank from an island near Rajamahendravaram Rural mandal, was mauled and killed by stray dogs.
Meanwhile, officials rescued 1,500 sheep and 20 shepherds from flood waters for the past three days.
According to officials, some shepherds were rearing cattle in the island village of Pulasallanka in the Godavari in Kadiam mandal of East Godavari district. They used to come out of the island to the banks during August, sensing floods. But, this year, the river flooded in July itself. With the rising floodwaters, shepherd families belonging to Gopalapuram, Annadevarapet, Gajjaram and other villages of Kovvur revenue division limits urged the authorities to rescue them. The officials rescued the sheep by using boats.
The officials said nearly 200 cows and buffaloes were still in the island village and they were finding it difficult to bring them to the banks. However, Kadiam mandal tahsildar Sujatha said efforts were being made to rescue the sheep.
