Floods in Godavari recede, normalcy likely in 3 days: official

Amaravati: The flood in river Godavari is gradually receding but it may take three more days for normalcy to return in hundreds of marooned villages in East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, officials said on Monday. The second warning has been scaled down to first as inflow at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram fell to 11.32 lakh cusecs in the evening. The first warning signal is likely to continue for the next couple of days as over four lakh cusecs of water is being discharged from Pranahita in Telangana.

The situation would ease in the next three days as rains have stopped in the catchment area of Godavari. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who returned from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, reviewed the situation with top officials, a press release said. Officials informed the Chief Minister that over 500 tmc ft of floodwater had to be let out into the Bay of Bengal in just about six days.

According to the State Disaster Management Authority, 18 manuals (202 villages) in East Godavari and 22 (218 villages) in West Godavari were affected by the flood. The transport network in 64 villages has been cut off while eight villages remained submerged in East Godavari. In West, 43 villages were cut off and eight villages were marooned, the authority said.

The East Godavari district administration opened 85 relief camps for 18,809 flood-hit people, while in West two camps were operated for 133 people. The Chief Minister directed the ministers concerned to visit the flood-affected areas and ensure prompt distribution of essential supplies to the people. He asked the medical and health department to take all steps to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases while the animal husbandry department has been asked to open veterinary camps in the villages.