Bhadradri people fear Polavaram backwater issue

Bhadrachalam: The people of temple town are in a state of confusion over Polavaram back water issue. The State and Centre have not given any sort of clarity on the issue so far. People believe the flood would raise this year due to closure of the copper dam of Polavaram. The residents fear problems in coming three months of rainy season in Bhadrachalam.

The flood was marked in the month of August last year at 61.6 feet's (above third warning level) at Bhadrachalam. The colonies of the temple town were submerged with flood water. Burgumphad, Aswapuram, Dummagudem, Cherla, Venkatapuram mandals and a few villages submerged during those floods. It was believed that the construction of copper dam in the Polavaram Project had affected the floods last. Now that the construction is completed, it is difficult even for the officers and the experts to predict as to how will the monsoon effect this year. People related to the agency expect to see more floods this year due to the back water of Polavaram.

The offices marked 43 feet as first warning level, 48 feet as second warning level and 58 feet the final warning level here in Bhadrachalam. According the sources, after the completion of the Polavaram project, the flood water will be marked here at 43 feet which is first warning in 365 days, informed the Irrigation Department experts.

Naturally as the the flood water increases in Bhadrachalam, the flood will be marked nearly above third warning level this rainy season experts said. still the officers of the both State were unable to give clarity over the back-water issue.

Earlier, the Telangana Government had appointed a team of engineers to survey the effected Polavaram project area. The team visited Bhadrachalam on 21st April in the year 2019. They submitted report to the government which included information regarding the losses faced by the villages in the temple town due to the Polavaram project.

But it is unfortunate that the government has not taken any precautionary measures after that nor has it made any sort of announcement in Bhadrachalam. P Venkateswara Rao, an elderly citizen of the temple town, asked to the government to respond immediately on the back water issue. He recalled 1986 August 16th marked the highest floods in the Bhadrachalam, it was a great loss.