As many as 12 villages in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh are on alert after incessant rains continued to lash the upper catchment areas of the Godavari river. Even as some motorable roads remain inundated, district officials and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) are making arrangements to take up an evacuation drive if necessary.
The continuous rainfall over the upper catchment areas of the river Godavari, located in Telangana and Chhattisgarh region, has caused a huge inflow of water downstream, into Dowleswaram Barrage – which is located on the river in Andhra Pradesh – and has affected transport connectivity in many areas.
In addition to the damage to crops, the waters have also reportedly damaged the temporary road at Ganti Pedapudi village in P Gannavaram. Given the heavy inflow of water from Dowleswaram, Pudivalli, a low-lying village, is witnessing flood-like situations.
Speaking to TNM, Satti Babu, District Revenue Officer, East Godavari stated that while necessary arrangements have been made, incessant rains may affect nearly 20 villages in Devipatnam Mandal and around five villages in P Gannavaram. Several villages in the Rampachodavaram ITDA limits as well are prone to floods.
“A monitoring cell at the Sub-Collector’s office is overseeing the situation and all the required measures are being taken to prevent human and property losses," the DRO said.
Speaking to TNM, State Disaster Management Authority’s Executive Director Shanthi Swaroop said that the situation in the low-lying areas in East Godavari district is normal as of now.
"We have deployed a Disaster Response Force team, consisting of 30 members, in Rampachodavaram and one more has already been stationed in Rajahmundry," Swaroop said, adding that district authorities have been given instructions on measures that need to be taken if the situation worsens.
The SDRF team has been equipped with safety and life jackets and rescue boats are ready to be roped in if required.
According to SDMA Executive Director, the Dowaleswaram barrage is getting an inflow of 4.85 lakh cusecs of water and 4.45 lakh cusecs of water are being released.
Meanwhile, the Real-Time Governance Society in Amaravati in its latest weather bulletin has said that the state's north coastal districts may witness scattered moderate to heavy rainfall between August 3 to 6, while coastal Andhra is expected to see widespread moderate to heavy rainfall from August 4 to 6.