Godavari receding at Bhadrachalam, Puvvada asks officials to maintain alertness

Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar reached Bhadrachalam, inspected low lying areas and held a review meeting with officials on flood relief measures.

Kothagudem: Water level in river Godavari at Bhadrachalam has been receding and dropped below the first warning level on Friday.

The water level was at 4.70 feet at 2pm with a discharge of 9.18 lakh cusecs. There was relief from the rainfall as 12 mandals in the district witnessed light to very light rain while there was no rain in other mandals on the day.

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Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar reached Bhadrachalam, inspected low lying areas and held a review meeting with officials on flood relief measures. He told the officials to be on alert mode even as the flood flow was receding as water could be released from upstream projects.

NDRF and rescue teams of SCCL and other companies in the district have to be made available to carry out relief operations in case of emergency. Barricades and danger warning boards should be set up at streams and tanks that were overflowing areas for the next two months, he suggested.

Measures to prevent people from moving on the banks of Godavari, especially at night, have to be taken. Additional rehabilitation centres should be kept ready and the people of flood-prone areas have to be prepared to move to the rehabilitation centres.

Medical camps should be established to provide medical services in the rehabilitation centers. Sanitation work should be carried out continuously. Steps to provide quality food to people in the rehabilitation centres have to be taken.

Keeping in mind the past experiences, even if the flood level in Godavari reaches up to 70 feet, the Electricity Department has to take steps to supply electricity without power interruption, Ajay Kumar noted.

He directed Mission Bhagiratha officials to supply safe drinking water to the people in flood prone villages and to conduct water tests frequently. Three helipads should be prepared and suitable arrangements should be made for carrying food supplies and for emergency needs.

The minister said that he along with special officers would stay at Bhadrachalam until the flood situation turns normal. Officials have to be engaged in the duties assigned to them, he noted.

Government Whip Rega Kantha Rao, Special Flood Monitoring Officers Krishna Aditya, Anudeep D, Gautham Potru, district Collector Dr. Priyanka Ala, IG Chandra Shekhar Reddy, SP Dr. Vineeth G, ITDA PO Prateek Jain and other officials were present.

Meanwhile, irrigation officials have lifted 21 gates of Taliperu project at Cherla to discharge 62, 461 cusecs of excess water downstream.