Bhadrachalam:
Flood water in the Godavari river reached 53 ft on Saturday evening. Officials declared a third warning level due to the expected increase in water levels from upstream projects. The third warning was anticipated to be announced by Sunday afternoon.
Meanwhile, officials evacuated residents from low-lying areas in Bhadrachalam. They established 22 flood relief centers across nine mandals. The flood affected 45 villages within 30 revenue villages in these mandals.
A second warning was issued late Friday night after the water level surpassed 48 ft. By 6 am on Saturday, the water level had risen to 50.50 ft, with a discharge of 12.86 lakh cusecs. By 9 am, the level increased to 51.40 ft, discharging 13.37 lakh cusecs.
At 10 am, the water level further increased to 51.50 ft, discharging 13.43 lakh cusecs. This rise was due to heavy inflows from the upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
Officials opened 20 gates of the Taliperu project in Cherla mandal to release 30,160 cusecs of excess water into the Godavari. The Kinnerasani reservoir at Paloncha also received inflows due to rains in its catchment area.
Low-lying areas in Cherla, Burgampad, and Dummugudem mandals were inundated. Floodwater entered homes in several villages, forcing residents to move to relief centers.
The district administration set up control rooms at the Sub Collector Office and ITDA office to manage the situation. District Collector Jitesh V Patil monitored the situation and alerted residents in low-lying areas.
Road connectivity from Bhadrachalam to all agency mandals was closed due to the floods. “The government has allocated a helicopter for emergencies,” said Patil. Due to flooded roads, the RTC suspended services for the past two days.
Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao visited Bhadrachalam to assess the flood situation. He interacted with district officers and instructed them to identify flood-prone areas and evacuate residents immediately.
