Godavari in spate; crossed third warning level

Officials watching the raising water level in Godavari on Sunday. Photo: Special Arrangement.

Heavy inflows in to Godavari River in Khammam district is threatening to assume alarming proportions in Khammam district as the water level touched 54 feet forcing officials to sound third warning level.

An adivasi farmer Madavi Hanmanthu, aged 25, of Sarpanchguda village in Tiryani mandal lost his life in the wake of heavy rainfall lashing Adilabad district on Saturday and Sunday. The rains did recede on Monday but not before leaving a trail of destruction in the shape of damage to roads and houses.

Water level in Godavari at Bhadrachalam has crossed third warning level of 53 feet and the present level was 54 feet around noon. Over two dozen villages in Bhadrachalam agency area of Khammam were cut off due to inundation and roads being cut off.

Apart from Godavari, several streams in the agency were in spate. A control room has already been established in Khammam and Bhadrachalam. A team of National Disaster Relief Force was rushed to Bhadrachalam to take up rescue operations. Villagers in flood areas were shifted to relief camps by the district administration.

Warangal district administration continued to hoist second warning level at Ramannagudem in Eturunagaram division in Warangal district as stood at 9.9 metres since Sunday night.

All the irrigation projects in Adilabad district are brimming with water as inflows continue to reach the dams. At Kadem project, authorities raised two crest gates to release over 21,000 cusecs to maintain a level of 698 ft against the full reservoir level of 700 ft.

The Penganga River on the northern border of Adilabad district also received huge inflows as many upstream places in Maharashtra received good rainfall during the last two days. The Penganga and Pranahita River, which is also swollen, are contributing to the increase in level of Godavari in Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts in Telangana.

Control room in Secretariat

Telangana Government has opened a control room in Secretariat (Disaster Management department) with 040-2345088 (phone) and 040-23454293 (fax) to monitor the situation following heavy rainfall in the State in the last two days, according to a press release from Commissioner for Disaster Management here on Monday.

(With inputs from Ravi Reddy (Hyderabad), P. Sridhar (Khammam), S. Harpal Singh (Adilabad) and G. Srinivasa Rao (Warangal)