KOTHAGUDEM: Families in nearly 17 villages in seven mandals located on the banks of River Godavari should be evacuated and moved to safer places to save them from regular floods, according to a survey.
The survey was carried out to identify the most vulnerable and partially flood-affected villages in Charla, Dummugudem, Bhadrachalam, Burgampahad, Aswapuram, Manuguru and Pinapaka mandals. The shifting can be done only if Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao releases the Rs. 1,000 crore financial package which he announced earlier to give relief to the people of the area.
The revenue officials are searching for lands to shift families from the most vulnerable villages during the floods. In Dummugudem mandal, villages including Sunnapubatti, M Kasinagaram, Workshop and Dummugudem were identified as most vulnerable during the floods. ‘Sunnapubatti’ village was formed during the construction of Dummugudem anicut across the Godavari river during the British regime. The village got its name from the material used for the project – a mixture of calcium and sand. Calcium was an alternative to cement in those days.
Temporary huts were set up there for the workers and the labourers. However, they continued to stay even after the project was completed. Dummugudem is also the most vulnerable village and the village was inundated during 1953 and 1986 floods. The river flowed 20 feet above the village during the time.
Villages like Burgampahad, Sanjeevareddypalem, Nagineniprolu Reddypalem, Sarapaka, Mothe and Iravendi in Burgampahad mandal are also identified as vulnerable. These villages were affected in July floods. Engineering experts have to study whether these villages should be shifted partially or fully. All these decisions will be based on whether the government constructs a karakatta (bund) on Burgampahad side or not.
Nellipaka, Chintiryala and Ammagaripalli in Aswapuram mandal, Annaram, Kamapalapuram and Chinaravigudem in Manuguru and Chintala Bayyaram in Pinapaka mandal and four villages in Charla are in the list. Finding lands to shift the villages is said to be a big task for the government.
