Andhra Pradesh   

Heavy rain threat subsides as depression crosses coast

Special Correspondent

Life returning to normality in several flood-hit areas of A.P.

HYDERABAD: As the threat of heavy rain to north coastal districts subsided with the depression over the sea weakening, normality was returning to several flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The State Met Office here said the depression crossed the coast near Balasore in Orissa and lay as a well-marked low-pressure area over the neighbourhood of Chhattisgarh. Under its influence, moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers were likely at many places in Telangana such as Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. The administration in these districts was placed on alert.

Fishermen warned

The Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam continued to issue a warning to fishermen in coastal districts as the state of the sea was likely to be rough and winds could blow with speeds of 45 to 50 kmph.

Life was returning to normality with the flood-hit people being provided shelter in relief camps and enumeration of flood damage picking up in several affected districts as the water receded. The level of the Godavari fell to 36.2 ft at Bhadrachalam, 6.8 ft below the first warning level. The Krishna, however, was steady as it received a heavy inflow of some 5 lakh cusecs from the upper reaches. The water was let into the sea by lifting the gates of all projects from Jurala to the Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada. The outflow at Nagarjunasagar was brought down from 5 lakh cusecs to 4 lakh cusecs in the evening to maintain storage in the reservoir. Though all 26 gates of the project were open, their height was decreased to restrict the discharge into the river. The water level in the project was 578.7 ft against the Full Reservoir Level of 590 ft. The outflow at Srisailam, upstream, was 5.5 lakh cusecs. Authorities withdrew nine out of ten helicopters deployed in marooned areas but stepped up medical camps to treat diarrhoeal and fever cases, which assumed an epidemic form. Primary health centres and public hospitals were overcrowded with patients.

Ten more deaths came to light in the enumeration of flood damage that was speeded up, taking the toll to 130. Road communication and power supply were restored in most of the affected places. Replenishment of stocks at fair price shops was being completed on a war footing.

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