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Swollen Godavari may pose more problems for AP

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Flood waters of the Godavari, which is in spate, have entered the temple town of Bhadrachalam and inundated low-lying areas. The river is flowing at the danger mark all along its 650-kilometre stretch in Andhra Pradesh.

Scores of families from the low-lying area of the temple town have been shifted to relief camps. Excise Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who hails from Khammam district, has been rushed to Bhadrachalam to monitor the relief and rescue operations.

Motor boats are being requisitioned from the Eastern Naval Command and the army while helicopters from the Indian Air Force have already been deployed. Flood banks along the river are being strengthened and district collectors have deployed relief teams in the affected areas.

Moderate to heavy rains continued to lash the north coastal and north Telangana districts. Meteorological officials indicated that though the situation had eased a bit with the low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal moving towards Orissa on Monday another one has been building up, posing a fresh threat of heavy rains in the state.

Over 400 villages in several districts remain submerged. Relief is being provided to the stranded people through boats and helicopters. "Relief and rescue operations are in full swing. As many as 104,000 people have been shifted to 206 relief camps. Our priority is to expedite the relief efforts," a senior official said.

A Central Water Commission official told rediff.com on Tuesday afternoon that the water level in the Godavari river at Bhadrachalam, located about 300 kilometres north-east of Hyderabad, reached 52.5 feet at 0600 hours (IST) on Tuesday morning. It is expected to cross the danger mark (53 feet) by evening, causing inundation of more villages around. River conservancy staff has begun patrolling along its banks to detect possible breaches at vulnerable points.

The CWC official predicted that the Godavari is likely to rise above the danger level at several places - Kunavaram, Dummugudem, Dowlaishwaram, the coastal city of Rajahmundry.

The Hyderabad Meteorological Office has forecast moderate to rather heavy rains in north coastal Andhra and north Telangana region and isolated rains over Rayalaseema, south coastal Andhra and south Telangana regions over the next 24 hours.

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