Flood Levels Receding at Sabari, Rising in Dowleswaram
Agricultural fields with standing crops submerged and farmers were in distress in Chinturu division.
Kakinada: The water level in River Sabari was steadily receding at Chinturu, where it was flowing at 38 feet by 7pm on Sunday, while the flood level was at 40.5 feet at the confluence of the Sabari-Godavari river in Kunavaram.
At the downstream Polavaram project and Dowleswaram barrage, the flood levels were rising.
Officials discharged 6.70 lakh cusecs from the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage by Sunday evening, and it was expected to reach 9 lakh cusecs by Monday. However, there existed no possibility of a first warning.
The Polavaram district administration alerted the official machinery about floods from upstream areas in Kunavaram, Yetapaka and other mandals in Chinturu division, after traffic on NH 326 halted due to submergence of roads.
ITDA project officer Shubham Nockwal alerted the residents of low-lying areas. He said that 6 launches and 14 country boats were deployed for flood-relief operations and 136 rehabilitation centers have been established while special teams readied for action in 161 villages.
Control rooms were set up in Chintur, Kunavaram and VR Puram mandals. Some 124 pregnant women from the flood-affected villages were shifted to hospitals in Chinturu and Kunavaram for medical care.
Agricultural fields with standing crops submerged and farmers were in distress in Chinturu division.
Polavaram SP Chakravarthi visited Kunavaram and VR Puram mandals to assess the situations while transport services between VR Puram and Chinturu were halted.
Kakinada collector Harendhira Prasad visited Venkata Krishna Raya Puram village in Samalkot mandal and some agricultural fields that were inundated due to heavy rains. The farmers explained to the collector that their fields were completely submerged by rainwater combined with the flow from the Yeleru Reservoir.
The water's onward movement was blocked due to the presence of water hyacinth at Achutapuratrayam.
The collector assured the farmers present that the water hyacinth at Achyutapuratrayam was being removed and that steps would be taken to restore the normal flow of water.
He also inspected the condition of West Yeleru canal bund near VK Rayapuram village. Farmers informed him that they incurred heavy expenses every year to strengthen the canal bund and repeatedly sought a permanent solution to the problems.
The collector also inspected the condition of the irrigation sluice in Vetlapalem village.
