The flood level in the Godavari has come down below the danger mark of 53 feet on Monday morning, prompting the authorities to withdraw the third flood warning. However, it is expected to rise slightly and remain static around 51 feet late in the night, official sources said. The flood situation in more than 300 villages in over 12 mandals in Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions continued to be grim with flood waters still surrounding many villages in low-lying areas in the Bhadrachalam agency areas.
Health hazards
The stagnant flood waters around the riverside villages in Bhadrachalam division, including several low-lying areas in the temple town of Bhadrachalam, posed serious public health hazards. Sources said that as many as ten malaria positive cases were reported from various habitations under Tummileru, Jeediguppa and Pocharam gram panchayats in V R Puram mandal.
More than 300 flood-affected villages went without electricity for the third consecutive day on Monday. ITDA Project Officer G Veerapandian and Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector Narayana Bharath Gupta visited the flood-hit villages in Kunavaram and V R Puram mandals on a boat on Monday. The officials distributed relief material, medicines and candles and other essentials in several flood ravaged villages. District Malaria Officer Dr Rambabu and other medical staff accompanied them.
The officials handed over rapid diagnostic kits and medicines to the field level functionaries of the medical and health department in the flood affected areas. Meanwhile, Collector I Srinivas Sri Naresh reviewed the flood relief operations at a meeting held at the Collectorate here on Monday evening.
He directed the officials concerned to launch a sanitation drive in a total of 122 flood hit villages in the agency areas and asked the officials to engage the sanitation staff from all the municipalities in the special drive.
Stating that a total of 46 drinking water schemes were damaged by the floods, he said efforts were under way to repair and restore the schemes on a war-footing. The Nellipaka drinking water scheme had already been revived. Electricity supply has been restored in a total of 70 villages, he said, adding that the road connectivity in the flood hit agency areas was paralysed due to the swollen rivers and streams at around 60 points on the main roads.
Vehicle stopped
The flood victims of Kunavaram gave vent to their ire over alleged denial of assured relief material including essentials like rice and kerosene. According to sources, a section of the flood victims of some low-lying areas in Kunavaram stopped the vehicle carrying the ITDA Project Officer G Veerapandian and Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector Narayana Bharath Gupta near Kunavaram while the latter were on their way to visit the flood hit areas late in the afternoon. They wanted the officials to visit their flood hit localities to take stock of the situation. The officials visited the flood affected areas in Kunavaram. The officials made it clear that adequate quantity of buffer stocks of essentials were dispatched to the flood prone areas well in advance as per the flood contingency plan.
They directed the staff manning the relief camps to immediately address the grievances of the flood victims.
