The river Godavari continued to be in spate after it had received heavy inflows and about 400 villages in East and West Godavari districts have been marooned. According to official sources, the Godavari flood water is rising gradually as it is receiving heavy inflows from the upstream of catchment areas.
Officials said that about 400 villages in East Godavari and West Godavari were inaccessible as they were surrounded by flood waters in Devipatnam, Pochammagandi, Podipalli, Thoyyuru, Polavaram and other mandals.
At Dowaleswaram barrage in East Godavari district, about 9.27 lakh cusecs of water is being discharged into the sea by lifting all crest gates and the barrage is receiving 9.94 lakh cusecs of water. The water level stood at 11.2 feet at the barrage and it is expected to rise further, an irrigation official said.
The flood water entered in 26 villages in Devipatnam mandal in EG district as the tributaries of Godavari, Vashista, Vainateya and Gauthami are in spate with heavy inflows. The Flood water is overflowing on the causeway at Chalakalipalem in P Gannavaram Mandal.
Plantain crop in hundreds of acres was damaged as flood water entered into fields at Anagarilanka, Burugulanka, Harihelavaripet and G Pedapudilanka villages which were inaccessible due to damage of road connectivity. The flood water is overflowing 4 feet above on the Devipatnam-Thogguru road. The officials have taken steps to shift the villagers to safer places.
The flood water is also overflowing on the spillway of the Polavaram project, which is under construction, at Polavaram in West Godavari district. About 19 villages in the district are still inaccessible as road connectivity was damaged. Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked the government to take steps to shift the people from low-lying areas to the safer places.
Naidu, who is in America now, taking to micro-blogging site twitter said, “One side flood water and the other side power failure in the flood affected villages. It is not known when snakes enter into the house.
Families with their children are facing hell in the flood affected areas. Government should provide needy help to them”, Naidu said.
