Kakinada:Polavaram district collector K. Dinesh Kumar on Saturday urged people to remain vigilant over the next 24 hours to 48 hours, as flood levels in the Sabari and Godavari rivers are expected to rise following heavy rains in upstream areas. He underlined that people belonging to low-lying flood-prone areas are being shifted to rehabilitation centres.
The collector visited Kunavaram and V.R. Puram mandals along with Polavaram joint collector S. Prashanth Kumar, sub-collector and ITDA project officer Subham Nokwal, and other officials.
Dinesh Kumar clarified that heavy rains caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal, along with rainfall in Chhattisgarh and Odisha state and the Sabari River basin, had led to the floods. He said the district administration is taking proactive measures keeping in mind the historic flood flow of nearly 5.4 lakh cusecs recorded in 1986.
Currently, the water level in Sabari River at Chinturu has reached 43.5 feet, corresponding to a flood discharge of nearly 3.5 lakh to 4 lakh cusecs. Though rainfall has subsided in the upper reaches, the floods will continue as it would take some time for the floodwaters to reach downstream areas.
The collector said as many as 135 rehabilitation centres have been opened and special teams deployed across 161 villages in the Chinturu division. 124 pregnant women have been identified in the flood-affected areas. 10 of them who are nearing their delivery dates have been shifted to maternity centres in advance.
Dinesh Kumar directed officials to accelerate relief operations and provide necessary assistance to people immediately.
Kakinada district collector M. N. Harendhira Prasad visited the flood-affected areas in Pithapuram and other constituencies.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan reviewed the flood situation with officials in the Pithapuram constituency. He directed officials to provide immediate relief to people in affected areas, restore damaged roads and power infrastructure, and submit a comprehensive report on crop and property losses.
The Deputy CM said every farmer’s loss should be recorded. Agriculture department officials informed him that crops in several villages across Pithapuram, Gollaprolu, and U. Kothapalli have been damaged due to heavy rains and floods.
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