The turbulent Godavari continued to wreck havoc in the Agency areas under Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions flooding over 160 villages, paralysing the road network and displacing thousands of tribal people all along the river course.
The high-level bridge across the confluence point of Sabari and Godavari rivers between Kunavaram and V R Puram was submerged cutting off road link to both mandals.
The flood level in the Godavari hovered around 61.3 feet, over eight feet above the red mark, at Bhadrachalam on Saturday evening.
A youth was reportedly washed away in the swollen Godavari at Chintiryala village in Aswapuram mandal on Saturday morning. A four-year-old boy was feared drowned in the river near Sarapaka in Burgumpadu mandal.
Agricultural crops in over 12,500 hectares were damaged. Around 600 villages continued to reel under darkness in both the divisions due to snapping of electricity supply.
Road communication between the divisional headquarters of Bhadrachalam and Wajedu, Charla, Kunavaram, V R Puram, Venkatapuram and Chintur mandals remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday.
The situation in Bhadrachalam town worsened with backwaters of the swollen Godavari entering into several houses in the low-lying areas like Subashnagar and Sishu Mandir locality.
Flood waters that seeped in through the leakages in sluice gates of the flood bank, surrounded the Mithila Stadium housing the Kalayana Mandapam.
A large pool of water stagnated around the Annadhana Sathram abutting the Uttara Dwaram of the historical Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy shrine. The Anjaneya Swamy temple on the banks of the Godavari was submerged.
Meanwhile, Collector I Srinivas Sri Naresh monitored the relief operations in Bhadrachalam. A total of 16,000 people of 4,500 families from 160 flood hit villages were moved to 94 relief camps in Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions, said Mr Sri Naresh. Two teams from National Disaster Response Force were pressed into service in the severely affected villages to carry out relief operations.
Helicopters were also requisitioned to airdrop food packets depending upon the situation.
Quoting the CWC reports, he said the flood level in the Godavari is likely to remain static for next couple of hours before receding.
Essentials and relief material were dispatched in adequate quantity to the affected villages by utilsing the launches and boats.
