Kakinada:A teenager, Pamula Gowtham,13, of Devarapalli village in East Godavari district, studying Class VII, washed away in the Polavaram Right Canal in the swirling waters.
According to Devarapalli sub-inspector V. Subrahmanyam, seven teenagers went to Polavaram Right Canal for a swim on Sunday evening. When the teenagers went to the canal, the water levels were whirling and flowing fast. There were no steps for the canal as there is a revetment wall. The students sat in the revetment wall, three students were skipping into the canal. One teenager managed to reach the bund, and other teenagers rescued the other two. Gowtham skipped into the canal and washed away in it. But other teenagers did not inform the incident, either their parents or the parents of Gowtham. After searching for their son, the parents complained with the Devarapalli Police Station. The SI Subrahmanyam said that the body was traced on Monday. Devarapalli police registered a case.
According to sources, usually the canal did not have deeper water levels, and many of the teenagers and youths used to step into the canal where the water levels were two feet to four feet and spend some time and return. However, irrigation department officials had released Godavari waters into the canal four days ago, and it is still flowing. Unaware of the latest development, Gowtham washed away in the canal.
