Godavari rising in AP, massive evacuation on

Godavari rising in AP, massive evacuation on
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Hyderabad, Aug 28: THe Godavari river was in spate and rising rapidly all along its course in Andhra Pradesh today, posing a flood threat to five districts even as the state government was grappling with last week's havoc wrought by floods that had claimed 141 lives.

The water level at Godavari has already crossed 49.4 ft at the temple town of Bhadrachalam in Khammam district, as against the first warning level of 43 ft, and was likely to touch 63 ft by tomorrow, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told the state assembly today.

Describing the flood situation as `alarming and frightening', Naidu said people from low-lying areas in Karimnagar, Warangal, Adilabad, Khammam and Nizamabad were being evacuated and the district administration had been put on alert to take up rescue and relief operations.

An IAF helicopter had been sent to Karimnagar district to rescue 25 persons stranded at the confluence of Pranhita, Godavari and Manneru rivers while 25 others had been airlifted from a marooned area in Warangal district, he said.

Following heavy rains in catchment areas of Pranhita in Maharashtra, Godavari level was rising rapidly all along its course from Nanded to Dowleshwaram in east Godavari districts, he said.

The Godavari basin districts had received a record 42 cm rainfall since Sunday triggering a flood threat to Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal, Khammam and Nizamabad districts, he said.

State Excise Minister T Nageshwara Rao has rushed to Bhadrachalam to oversee rescue operations.

The flood water entered 23 island villages in west Godavari district while the famous Kolleru lake in the district was in spate inundating one lakh hectares of paddy crop, Naidu said.

The police had rescued over 500 people stranded in submerged Brahmapalli village in Karimnagar district while eight others had been airlifted from Lakshmipuram village in Warangal district, he said.

Following Central Water Commission's flood warning, the collectors of Godavari basin districts had sounded an alert for evacuation of people from low-lying areas, the Chief Minister said.

Heavy rainfall has been forecast for Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, east Godavari, west Godavari, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, Adilabad and Nizamabad districts in the next 48 hours.

Manthani town in Karimnagar district has been inundated while Fox Sagar tank on the city outskirts and Langar House tank in the city had suffered further breaches today.

In the last week's floods, 141 people had died and over 3,090 villages, spread over 13 districts, were affected with 298 villages being totally marooned, he said.

Over 54,000 houses and 12,247 roads were damaged and the preliminary estimation of losses to public property was put at Rs 776 crore, the Chief Minister said.