As both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, witness very heavy rainfall, water levels at Bhadrachalam, Krishna and Godavari barrages are increasing. According to Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the levels are expected to reach warning levels by Thursday, July 27.
According to the APSDMA, a total of 424 villages in 42 mandals of Alluri Sitaramaraju, East Godavari, Eluru, Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari districts will be impacted if the water level reaches 10 lakh cusecs in Dowleswaram Barrage.
At Bhadrachalam, a first-level alert will be issued at 43 feet, and a second-level alert will be given at 48 feet. On Wednesday evening, the latest reading was 45 feet. Similarly, at Dowleswaram, the first water level warning will be announced at 10 lakh cusecs of water, followed by a second warning at 13 lakh cusecs. The most recent reading indicates that the water level is at 8.44 lakh cusecs. The water level at the Prakasam Barrage on the Krishna River in Vijayawada is at 3.07 lakh cusecs, and a first level warning will be issued at 3.96 lakh cusecs.
APSDMA officials told TNM that the first alert was retrieved in Bhadrachalam after the water level receded. “However, according to our prediction, the second level warning will be sounded in Bhadrachalam by Thursday morning as there would be heavy rainfall in Telangana. The water will take 22 hours to reach Dowleswaram barrage in Rajahmundry, which means a first alert is likely to be sounded around Thursday evening,” said D Harish Naidu, GIS specialist at APSDMA.
He added that several districts in Andhra Pradesh will continue to witness heavy rainfall until Friday leading to waterlogging at low lying areas.
The disaster management agency has deployed six response teams in Godavari region as the water level accompanied with high rainfall might disrupt regular life of the residents. “The water level was recorded to be 25 lakh cusecs in Dowleswaram last year in July. This year it might not reach the level, but the district administrations are being alerted regularly,” Harish Naidu said.
The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday said that many places in Alluri Sitaramaraju, West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, Prakasam, Kurnool and Nandyal districts are likely to witness heavy rains.
Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, East Godavari, Konaseema, Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Annamayya, YSR Kadapa, Sri Sathya Sai and Anantapur districts are expected to receive light to moderate rains. According to the current weather forecast, there will be light to moderate rains from Saturday.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, APSDMA has stated that the residents are being communicated on phones about the warnings and precautions to be taken. “People can contact the state control room numbers 1070, 1800 425 0101 which are available 24 hours for emergency help and information. The people of Godavari catchment area are advised to be alert and take appropriate precautions till the level decreases completely,” the press release stated.