Godavari Witnesses Steady Rise in Water Level, Two Lakh Cusecs Discharged at Barrage

Vijayawada: The water level in Godavari river was rising steadily with a discharge of nearly two lakh cusecs of water from the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage at Dowleswaram downstream and into the sea, officials said on Wednesday.

The water level was expected to rise up to four to five lakhs in the next two days, following heavy inflow of water from upstream catchment areas in Maharashtra under the influence of heavy rainfall.

Accordingly, the authorities in the erstwhile twin districts of Godavari are making arrangements to ensure the safety of people and their property.

In the BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, the district administration is arranging boats for the people to attend to their daily chores in anticipation of the floods and inundation of several low-lying areas and islands.

Officials said there may not be any major trouble to the people in Konaseema area unless the discharge at the barrage reaches the 10 lakh cusecs mark. Yet, the district administration is taking measures to ensure connectivity by arranging boats and keeping stocks of essential commodities like rice and kerosene for supply to the people in case they are to be evacuated to safety.

The administration is also keeping stocks of fodder for the livestock.

Konaseema collector Himanshu Shukla said, “We are also keeping boats ready for transportation of people in case the low-lying areas get flooded and road transport is affected.”

In Eluru, the district administration is focussing more on agency mandals like Kukunoor and Velerupadu. Though both the mandals are relatively safe at present, there is a chance of the river witnessing heavy inflows from upstream. In such a situation, the low-lying areas in the agency mandals will be affected, disrupting transport links and causing inundation.

Eluru collector Prasanna Venkatesh said, “We are ready to meet any eventuality and have the first round of review on the flood situation. We will have another review on Thursday and take all requisite measures to ensure the safety of the people.”

In Rampachodavaram agency mandals, the authorities are keeping stocks of essential commodities like rice, kerosene etc for supply to the people in case of marooning of several low-lying areas. Moreover, a good number of project-affected people were evacuated to safety especially in Devipatnam mandal. The authorities are keeping a close vigil.

Rampachodavaram sub collector Shubham Bansal said, “We are fully prepared to face the floods and ensure safety to the people.”