Vijayawada: The water level in the Godavari river was rising steadily with an inflow of nearly 10,000 cusecs of water from Bhadrachalam and also due to the self-yield following rainfall in its catchment areas.
As the flood season for Godavari begins in July and continues up to October, the water resources department has initiated necessary steps like identification of weak flood banks towards its right and left sides from Polavaram to downstream, in the course of the river until it merges into the sea at four places - Yanam, Coringa of Kakinada, Antarvedi, and Narasapuram, by forming into tributaries.
The authorities recently held a preparatory meeting to get feedback from the engineers in charge of the flood banks in their respective jurisdictions, on the status of these to find out whether they are weak and require any work to strengthen them.
Accordingly, flood relief materials like sandbags, casuarina stumps, etc will be procured.
Officials say the meeting was held recently and they are in the process of preparing the flood manual and dealing with any crisis like heavy flood situations and ways to avoid a breach of the bunds by keeping a close watch on them. They are also alerting the local revenue authorities for evacuation of those living in vulnerable areas including villages and islets.
The standard protocol, while dealing with the flood situation in the Godavari River is that, if the quantum of water that gets discharged from Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram is to be of 10 lakh cusecs, the first flood warning will be issued.
If the water level rises further causing a discharge of 13 lakh cusecs, the second flood warning will be issued. If the discharge goes up to 17 lakh, the final and third warning will be issued.
Godavari head works superintending engineer Srinivasa Rao said, “At present, we are getting inflow of nearly 8,000 cusecs of water from Badrachalam and some quantum of water from local yield. If the rainfall continues in the catchment areas of the river, the water level will rise further. We are prepared to deal with any flood situation in the river.”
Rampachodavaram sub-collector Prasanth Kumar suspended the plying of tourism boats on the Godavari river from June 26, in the wake of a rise in the water level in Godavari and bad weather conditions, as a precautionary measure from the Gandi Posamma ferry point to Papikondalu taking tourists. However, the sub-collector accorded permission for the plying of boats with certain conditions from June 29.
