KAKINADA: The people of merged mandals in Chinturu division of Alluri Seetharama Raju district are again facing the flood problem as River Godavari remains swollen with floodwaters from upstream areas.
The first warning was sounded at Bhadrachalam when the water level there touched 45.17 feet while waters were overflowing beyond the first warning level in Kunavaram at 17.76m on Monday evening.
The lake in Chinnarkuru village of Kunavaram mandal was overflowing with floodwaters. In Chinturu, the level was recorded at 38.2m against its full capacity of 43m.
This was the fourth time the Godavari was swollen in two months’ time. People of the merged mandals say they returned to their villages after 60 days from temporary shelter in safer places only four days back. They were repairing the flood-hit buildings, huts and tiled houses when, again, the scenario was back to square one. They requested the government to settle their R&R packages and construct R&R colonies on a war footing to save their lives.
The floodwaters were overflowing in Polipaka and Sokileru areas.
Kunavaram Mandal tahsildar Anasuya alerted the officials about the worsening flood situation. She urged the people to shift to safer places as the first warning was already sounded in Kunavaram.
The inhabitants of Vaddigudem village of VR Puram mandal staged a protest march from to Rekhapalli Junction and submitted a memorandum to the village secretary. They held a dharna at the junction. They alleged that while the floods turned their life upside down, officials were conducting the flood surveys in a wrong manner so that their compensation would be affected. “We all have lost everything. But, during the survey, the officials deleted the names of several of the flood victims,” they alleged.
They alleged that the names of those from Telangana have been included in the AP list, “but those who are really living in these affected villages are not listed as victims.”
They demanded that the government conduct a resurvey and provide proper compensation to the victims. Every house marooned in the floods should be counted and full compensation given to damaged and collapsed housed, while half the compensation should go to those whose houses were damaged in part.”
Meanwhile, the water authority discharged 7,05 cusecs of water into the sea by lifting 175 gates from the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage. The first warning may be sounded at Dowleswaram barrage by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
The Gandipochamma Temple has not been opened for two months as the floodwaters have not receded yet.
