Godavari in spate, villages evacuated

Several villages in the agency area of the temple town Bhadrachalam in the Khammam district of Telangana were cut off from the rest of the state on Monday with the water level in the Godavari reaching 56 feet, just a foot less than the danger mark. 

With the river water inundating several low-lying areas abutting the river, at least 500 families have been shifted to make-shift camps by the district authorities.

According to Khammam Joint Collector Surendra Mohan, the traffic has been affected in several areas with the gushing water damaging the roads. 

 In addition to Godavari, several rivulets and seasonal streams are in spate inundating crops in vast tracts.  A 47- member team of National Disaster Relief Force was rushed to Bhadrachalam to take up rescue operations.

The heavy inflows into the Godavari river from upper regions coupled with the heavy rain in the past 48 hours has disrupted normal life in Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam districts. 

In Adilabad, all projects are brimming with copious inflow from catchment areas.  Around 22,000 cusecs of water was released downstream at the Kadem project in the district. The water level is just 2 feet short of the 700-foot mark of full reserve level.

With incessant rain in the Maharashtra border of Adilabad, the Penganga and Pranahita rivers are also swollen and worsening the situation.
 According to irrigation officials, the rain and rising water levels could damage standing crops in Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts in Telangana. Meanwhile,a  second warning level has been announced on the banks of the Godavari in the Ramannagudem in Eturunagaram division in Warangal district on late Sunday night.

The heavy rain also had its impact on power thermal power generation in Telangana. 

The National Thermal Power Corporation Ramagundam had stalled power generation at the second unit of 200 mw, following the shortage of coal supply from the Singareni Collieries Company limited on Monday.