The Godavari region in Andhra Pradesh heaved a sigh of relief on July 21 (Friday) as the flood inflow into the Godavari river began to recede at Bhadrachalam in Telangana.
The inflows were expected to fall below the first warning level of 43 feet at Bhadrachalam by July 22 (Saturday).
As per the flood bulletin issued by the Andhra Pradesh Water Resource Department, more than 9.64 lakh cusecs was being released into the Bay of Bengal from the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram in East Godavari district.
The inflows at the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage were on the rise as of Friday. More than 11,000 cusecs was being diverted to the canals in the Godavari delta.
“In the Konaseema region, as many as 12 habitations have lost road connectivity. Boat is the only way to reach them now. Pregnant women, elderly people and people suffering from various ailments have been evacuated,” Konaseema district Collector Himanshu Shukla told The Hindu.
As many as 85 villages were asked to be ready for evacuation based on necessity, Mr. Himanshu Shukla added.
The Konaseema-West Godavari inter-district border at P. Gannavaram was cut-off as flood water was flowing over the causeway. People were crossing the river by boat here.
In Eluru district, as many as 16 tribal pockets in the Koida-Kutkuru belt on the banks of the Godavari were cut off from the mainland.
“Fifteen habitations in Velerpadu mandal and one habitation in Kukunoor mandal have been cut off. Essential commodities have been stored in the respective affected habitations to manage for three months. Anti-venom is made available for three weeks,” said Eluru Collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh.
In Chintoor Agency in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, nearly 200 families were evacuated from Kunavaram and V.R. Puram.
“The inflows are declining at Bhadrachalam. We have deployed 30 boats and 12 launches for evacuation in the Chintoor Agency,” ITDA Project Officer (in-charge) Suraj Ganore said.
