KAKINADA: The flood levels in River Godavari were rising on Sunday due to heavy rains in the upstream areas. Though the flood waters receded on Saturday night, the inflows started increasing again.
At the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Dowleswaram, the irrigation department discharged 8.51 lakh cusecs of water by evening as the pond level rose to 13.96 metres.
The flood waters were at 17. 88 metres in Kunavaram while the first warning in force.
The officials said that the flood trend was steadily turning worse. Some 100 villages remained cut off due to flooding of roads. These villages in Kunavaram, VR Puram, Kukkunuru and Velerupadu mandals were submerged in floodwaters. The road was flooded at Gammagudem and officials provided shelter to the affected people there, as also of Dacharam.
In Kukunoor mandal, the flood-affected people took shelter in the hills and faced serious problems of food and shelter. Officials supplied two months’ rice, but gave them no other essential commodities.
S Sivamani of Kunavaram mandal, given shelter at Kothulagutta area, told Deccan Chronicle that the children there were suffering due to lack of milk. No essentials like dals, oil, vegetables etc were available to them. A textile trader from Kunavaram, S Veerraju, supplied milk, biscuits and half a kilo of onions to each family. However, many in other rehabilitation centers didn’t get any essentials.
Most of the flood-affected people in temporary camps were suffering from mosquito menace. She urged the officials to supply mosquito nets to them.
Another flood victim, Kodi Arjunudu of Kothulagutta, said, “We are faced with a lot of troubles. We urge the government to complete the Rehabilitation and Resettlement package and construct R&R colonies as early as possible.”
Kukkunuru mandal revenue officer Pramadwara said the Gammugudem road has been breached and the people of the villages have been shifted to Dacharam. The flood-affected have been supplied with two months’ rice and more essentials, like vegetables, would be reached to them, she said.
VR Puram ZPTC Rangareddy requested the officials to provide tarpaulins for the flood-victims camping in relief centres. The government should recognize the Polavaram irrigation project-affected victims as human beings and take necessary steps for their survival, he said.
