As a result of the continuous downpour and inflows in the upstream areas, the water level at the Dowleswaram Barrage has been rising steadily. The district administration has issued an alert to officials working in the Agency and the low-lying areas on Wednesday.
Relief centres
With the water level rising to 30 feet at Bhadrachalam, officials of Chintooru, Etapaka and Vara Ramachandrapuram mandals have been put on alert and two launches each have been arranged in the three mandals for relocating the tribal people residing in the low-lying areas.
Relief centres were identified to provide shelters to the affected, and stocks of groceries and medicines were being maintained. Project Officers of the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies are on the high alert with both the Godavari and Sabari rivers and the Sokuleru rivulet in spate. Evacuation would commence once the water level touches 40 feet at Bhadrachalam.
With the road connecting the mainland and island villages near P. Gannavaram getting washed away in the floodwaters, residents of G. Pedapudi Lanka, Vudimudi Lanka, Arigelapeta and Burugu Lanka island villages started using country-made boats to the reach the mainland. There has been a steady rise in the Godavari level at P. Gannavaram.
The water level at the Dowleswaram Barrage went up from 10.1 feet in the morning to 10.8 feet in the evening. Officials of the Irrigation department discharged 1.36 lakh cusecs of water into the Bay of Bengal during the day. They also reduced the water release into the irrigation canals passing through the eastern and central deltas, where the canals are brimming with rainwater. The officials said that the low lying areas would be inundated if the inflows from the upstream continued in the same way for the next couple of days.
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