Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has instructed the officials of various government departments to be on alert to tackle any emergency in view of continued rainfall. Taking stock of the situation at the Bhadrachalam where the level of river Godavari was rising with every passing hour, he ordered the former collector of Kothagudem district Mr Anudeep to rush to Bhadrachalam and oversee the relief operations. The officials of Fire, Revenue, Police, Disaster Management, Medical & Health departments and others were asked to stay vigilant and work in coordination.
CM KCR has ordered officials to set up control rooms and toll-free numbers with immediate effect in all districts. Across the state, the police were monitoring the flood situation and diverting vehicular traffic to alternate routes. They were seen asking people not to come out of their houses as many were venturing out to see the floods and overflowing streams for sheer joy. The district administration has given the first warning level at Bhadrachalam. There has been a steady rise in the flood level of river Godavari. The warning was given at 4 pm as the water level reached 43.30 feet and discharge was 9,46,412 cusecs of water.
The low-lying areas around Bhadrachalam – Dummugudem, Cherla, Burgampad, Ashwapuram and Manugur were cut off from mainstream as the roads got washed off and streams and creeks overflowed with flood waters. Kothagudem collector Priyanka Ala visited the Bhadrachalam and adjoining low-lying areas while Mulugu collector Ila Tripathi visited the Tupakulagudem and inspected the Sammakka barrage. Earlier she visited the Ramannagudem on the banks of the river Godavari.
The Mulugu district administration has decided to set up a flood relief camp at Eturunagarm and shift the tribals living in fringe areas. The collector wanted the Tahsildhar and his team to stay put at the place of work and monitor the situation. There was heavy inflow into the Godavari River from catchment areas of Sironcha in neighbouring Maharashtra state. In Hanamkonda and Warangal districts, the officials asked the people not to come out in the rain unless essential. People should reach out to the officials over the telephone in case of an emergency.
In view of inclement and risk-prone weather, the State government has declared holidays on Friday and Saturday for all educational institutions and private organisations. The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) teams and helicopters were made available to save the lives of flood-affected people. The Medial & Health department has announced a toll-free number 040-24651119 asking people to reach out in any exigency.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao