Diviseema to bear brunt of flood fury

Vijayawada: The administration of Krishna district has been put on high alert and teams were deployed in 15 village in six mandals in the Diviseema region as more than 5 lakh cusecs of water released from Srisailam will be reaching these mandals downstream of the Prakasam barrage by Monday.

The two major reservoirs Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reached the full reservoir level, and hence the officials of the Irrigation department are releasing the flood water downstream. Floodwater released from Srisailam first and later from Nagarjuna Sagar and will reach the Prakasam barrage on Monday.

The mandals where high alert has been declared are Ghantasala, Nagayalanka, Koduru, Mopidevi, Challapalli and Avanigadda. About 15 villages may be affected once five lakh cusecs of water from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reach the Prakasam barrage on Monday.

The floodwater from the Prakasam barrage will be released into sea and will pass along the mandals of Ghantasala, Nagayalanka, Koduru, Avanigadda, Mopidevi and Challapalli. Bandar Revenue Divisional officer S K Khaja Vali told The Hans India that tahsildars, village revenue officers, panchayat secretaries and police personnel were asked to stay in the vulnerable and low-lying villages in all the six mandals to take up necessary rescue and relief operations.

Revenue officials in coordination with the police, irrigation and other departments are monitoring the arrangements being made to help the villagers in case the floodwaters enter the villages. Fishermen were asked not to venture into the river and people were asked not to cross the river by boats.

The Animal Husbandry department has alerted the villagers to shift their cattle to safer places. So far, no evacuation programme has started in the Diviseema region, said the RDO. He said villagers from these mandals will be evacuated if the floodwater reaches eight lakh cusecs. Krishna district collector J Nivas held a tele-conference and reviewed the arrangements being made in the mandals adjacent to the Krishna river to tackle the floods. The collector along with the Irrigation officials is monitoring the flood situation and release of waters from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs.