PNS | ELURU
Following heavy rains in the catchment areas, River Godavari is in spate and the official machinery in the district has been put on high alert.
River Godavari is receiving heavy inflows and the water level stood at 43 feet at Bhadrachalam and the first warning has been issued. The water level stood at 31.560 feet at Polavaram project Spillway upstream, 22.900 feet at Spillway downstream, 32.200 at Upper cofferdam and 22.340 at DCD.
As much as 5,20,191 cusecs of water is being discharged at the Polavaram project. The inflow is likely to rise by Thursday night, officials said.
District Collector V Prasanna reviewed the flood situation with the officials here on Thursday. He directed the officials to be on high alert and take all precautionary measures at the low lying areas to avoid life and property loss. He asked them to identify the flood-prone areas.
Collector Prasanna Venkatesh ordered Joint Collector B Lavanya Veni and RDO Jhanshi Rani to rush to Kukkunuru and Velurupadu mandal villages to monitor the flood situation and evacuation of victims.
Steps should be taken to evacuate people from low lying areas to safer places and the mandal level officers to take steps in this regard, he told them.
The Collector directed the DWMA PD to make arrangements to provide drinking water in the rehabilitation centres and make ready 5 lakh water packets and send 3 lakh of them to
Velerupadu mandal and two lakh packets to Kukkunuru mandals in which villages would be affected by the flood water. The rehabilitation centres should work round the clock and medical camps should be set up in the centres with medicines including anti-venom to treat snake bites, he told them.
Collector Prasanna Venkatesh directed the Fisheries department DD to keep ready boats, expert swimmers and generators. Mini-lorries should also be kept ready to transport essential commodities to the rehabilitation centres.
The police should take steps to maintain law and order properly in the flood hit areas, he told the police officers. Meanwhile, centrol room was set up in the Collectorate with phone number 1800 233 1077.
Road connectivity has been cut off to Dacharam village in Kukunoor mandal as the road leading to the village is inundated with the floodwater of Gudeti stream.
Road connectivity was also cut off to Bestagudem and Nemalipet and Ramannagudem as the roads were inundated in the Godavari flood water. The floodwater gushed into several villages in Kukkunuru mandal and the officials were shifting the villagers to safer places.
