Godavari crosses second warning level at Bhadrachalam, Ponguleti reviews flood situation

Water level in river Godavari crossed the second warning level of 48 feet at Bhadrachalam in the district with a discharge of 11, 44, 645 cusecs in the afternoon hours on Monday.

Kothagudem: Water level in river Godavari crossed the second warning level of 48 feet at Bhadrachalam in the district with a discharge of 11, 44, 645 cusecs in the afternoon hours on Monday.

The water level is further rising and expected to cross the third warning level of 53 feet with heavy inflows from the river’s upper catchment area. Officials have lifted 25 gates of Taliperu project in Cherla mandal discharging 46, 612 cusecs of excess water.

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Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy along with district Collector Jithesh V Patil and SP, B Rohith Raju inspected the river bund and held a meeting with district officials to review the flood situation.

He said as Godavari was likely to rise to 55 feet at Bhadrachalam, all arrangements to move people in the flood affected areas to relief centres were made. In view of last year’s experiences repairs were carried out to the river sluice and drain water was being pumped out at Vista complex.

Srinivas Reddy informed that arrangements were made to provide food to people in the relief centres by Mahila Samakhya members. There were 111 flood affected villages on the banks of the river and they were being monitored.

Until the first week of September, the officers and staff should not take leave and everyone should stay at their place of work. As the flood level was increasing vehicles coming from Kunavaram should not be allowed towards Bhadrachalam, the minister said.

Earlier in the day, Srinivas Reddy inspected the breached Peddavagu project site at Gummadavalli village in Aswaraopet mandal. Sand was deposited in nearly 400 acres due to the flooding and Rs. 10,000 per acres would be given to remove sand from agriculture fields, he noted.

Seeds would be given free of cost to the farmers whose cotton and paddy crops were lost. Rs 3000 would be given for each sheep washed away in the floods while 20,000 would be given for each cow or buffalo. All those who lost their houses would be sanctioned Indiramma houses, he stated.

Excess water should have been released when the project receives 40,000 cusecs inflow but the gates were not opened even as the inflow reached 70,000 cusecs. The project was breached due to the negligence of the officials. Show cause notices have already been issued to the responsible officials, the minister added.