70 crest gates lifted at Prakasam Barrage; 4.4L cusecs released

Guntur/Vijayawada: Irrigation department officials lifted 70 crest gates of Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada city on Friday and released 4.4 lakh cusecs of floodwater into the downstream of Prakasam Barrage.

Inflows into the barrage have increased due to heavy floodwater discharges from the Pulichintala Project in Palnadu district. According to the irrigation department officials, Prakasam Barrage is getting 4.10 lakh cusecs of the flood water from the upstream and the officials are discharging 4.4. lakh cusecs of the floodwater. If the inflows increase further, the officials are planning to release up to 4.5-lakh cusecs of the floodwater.

The distinct administration is not allowing the visitors to take holy bath in the river. Police pickets were set up at ghats at the river as a precautionary measure.

The officials have taken steps to shift the families residing in the low-lying areas to the safer places as a precautionary measure. Families residing in the low-lying areas at Bhupesh Gupta Nagar and Ramalingeswara Nagar in Vjayawada city will be shifted to the safer places.

Guntur District Collector M Venugopal Reddy alerted the revenue officials of Thullur, Tadepalli, Mangalagiri, Kollipara, Duggirala and Repalle mandals to take steps to check untoward incidents in the backdrop of heavy discharge of floodwater. He instructed the parents not to send children into the canals and tanks.

Krishna District Collector P Rajit Basha alerted the revenue and ward secretariat officials in the backdrop of release of heavy floodwater from the Prakasam Barrage. He reviewed the flood situation with the officials and instructed the fishermen not to venture into the river for fishing and urged the public not to travel on the boats. He urged the owners of the cattle to shift the cattle in the low-lying areas to the safer places.

He alerted the revenue officials of Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, Mopidevi, Challapalli, Penamaluru, Thotlavalluru and Ghantasala mandals and directed them to be ready to face flood threat and take all the precautionary measures to prevent untoward incidents and losses.

Reviewing the flood situation, Bapatla district SP Vakul Jindal conducted a review meeting with the police officials of Bhattiprolu, Repalle and Chodayapalem and instructed them to take all the precautionary measures with the coordination of departments concerned and alert the officials residing in low-lying areas. He instructed the police officials to be in touch with the people and ready to render services.

In River Godavari at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Dowleswaram near Rajamahendravaram, the flood flow remained steady at 14.76 lakh cusecs (cubic foot of water flow per second), going past the second danger level.

According to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the flood level showed a marginal decrease at upstream Bhadrachalam in Telangana on Friday afternoon, with signs of a further decline over the next few hours.