Even as the flood level in the Godavari keeps rising, officials and residents of coastal villages have a new problem to worry about — the new moon day (amavasya) on Wednesday. On new moon day, high tides occur in the sea and water will spill over. Tides rise up to 10 to 12 feet high and flood water will not flow into the Bay of Bengal, fishermen said.
“Due to gravitational pull of the moon, the sea will reamin rough and backwaters will enter the coastal villages. As there is heavy flood, backwaters may aggravate the situation,” said P. Ranga Rao, a native of Pallepalem village in West Godavari district .
As the water level crossed 61 feet in the Godavari at Bhadrachalam, many island villages in the twin Godavari districts were flooded, and officials said the situation might continue for a few days.
Precautionary measure
Narsapuram Sub-Collector K.S. Visnathan said people residing in Ayodhyalanka, Kanakayalanka, Peddalanka and those staying on the coast in Narasapuram mandal had been asked to evacuate . “Sea will be rough and high tides occur on new moon day. Due to backwaters, flood severity may be more. As a precautionary measure, we appeal to the people to vacate the island villages,” he said.
“The situation will aggravate if new moon occurs during floods. As there was heavy rainfall for the last few days, people staying in the downstream areas should be careful as backwaters may enter villages,” said another fisherman.
