With the Taliperu river, a tributary of the Godavari, and several other forest streams flowing in spate in Bhadrachalam Agency, the district administration has issued a fresh flood alert for people living in areas along the banks of the Godavari in the district.
The incessant downpour in the upper reaches of the Taliperu brought huge volume of flood water into the reservoir at Pedamidisileru in Charla mandal on Wednesday afternoon.
The gushing inflows necessitated opening all the 25 crest gates of the medium irrigation project.
About 1.66 lakh cusecs of flood water was being discharged downstream in view of the continuous inflows from the Taliperu’s catchment areas dotting the State’s border with Chhattisgarh.
The overflowing Taliperu caused several forest streams such as Kongavagu, Seethavagu, Gubbalamangi and Singasamudram in Dummugudem and Charla mandals of Bhadrachalam division to swell.
Vehicular movement on several low-lying roads in Dummugudem mandal was disrupted on Wednesday evening with the swollen streams inundating causeways at Laxmipuram and various other remote villages, sources said.
The water level in the Godavari at Bhadrachalam rose to 42 feet at 7 pm.
Quoting the weather forecast, the Irrigation department sources said the Godavari woudl cross the first warning level of 43 feet around Wednesday midnight.
Meanwhile, Collector Rajat Kumar Saini urged people living in low-lying areas to remain alert and desist from venturing into the rivers and streams.
He asked the officials of the Revenue and other departments to monitor the water levels in the Godavari constantly and take appropriate measures to deal with any exigency.
