Water level in Godavari, Sabari rivers rising | NDRF rescue teams to be deployed in flood-affected areas; alert sounded

Due to heavy rains in the catchment areas, water level in Godavari and Sabari rivers was rising every hour, according to top officials.

Rescue teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) 10th Battalion and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) would be deployed in the flood-affected villages as the flood level is rising. Due to heavy rains in the catchment areas, water level in Godavari and Sabari rivers was rising every hour, according to top officials.

Communication has been snapped to some tribal habitations in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district and were cut off from the mainstream as the rivulets were overflowing on the roads. Police pickets have been arranged to prevent any untoward incident. Trees were uprooted in some villages due to heavy rains that have been lashing for the last 24 hours. Sabari river was in spate at Chintur.

Flood level in Godavari at Bhadrachalam was recorded at 42 feet and the discharge was about 8.89 lakh cusecs to the downstream. Water level at Polavaram spillway was at 31 metres and the Irrigation Department officials discharged about 3.15 lakh cusecs into the sea. At Sir Arthur Cotton barrage, at Dowleswaram, flood level reached about 10 feet by Thursday afternoon.

Irrigation Department officials will issue the first warning when the flood reach 43 feet at Bhadrachalam, second warning at 48 feet and issue the third warning at 53 feet.

Godavari water entered into Gandhi Pochamma temple, located on the river bank in Devipatnam mandal. The temple officials suspended darshanam to the devotees. Villagers were asked not to travel on boats in the river and enter near the river. “Police patrolling has been arranged to prevent devotees from taking holy dip in the river and canals, which were in spate,” said a police officer.

Speaking to The Hindu, Konaseema district Collector, Himanshu Shukla, has said that volunteers were pressed into service to take up foot patrolling along the flood bank in the district to strengthen the bund to prevent breaches.

“We are coordinating with the officers concerned and instructed the police officers to be prepared in the flood-affected villages,” said West Godavari district Superintendent of Police (SP) U. Ravi Prakash.