Rains pose flood threat to TS, AP - TeluguPeople.com News

HYDERABAD: The heavy rain that lashed many parts of Northern Telangana districts of Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal and Khammam and Northern parts of Andhra Pradesh has thrown normal life out of gear.

River Godavari is in spate, with flood levels increasing by the hour. A second level danger signal was sounded in the mandals of Warangal district through which the river passes. Warangal Collector G Kishan alerted revenue authorities to evacuate the people in low-lying areas as a precautionary measure. A flood control room has been opened in Warangal collectorate with helpline no 0870-251077.

Water in Godavari crossed the second warning level of 48 feet at Bhadrachalam in Khammam district and is expected to cross the third warning level of 53 feet by Monday morning. Due to heavy rains in the upper reaches of Godavari, heavy inflows in the river from its tributaries Indravati, Penaganga, Wainganga and Taliperu are raising the water level in the river.

Road connectivity has been cut off to 35 villages in Wazeedu mandal due to overflowing of Cheekupalli Vagu on the national highway. Officials rescued as many as 15 labourers at Venkatapuram, who got caught in the flood. With increasing flood levels of Godavari, people in the low-lying areas and villages along the river course are a worried lot and several had left their places to safety.

With increasing inflows, officials lifted 15 gates of Taliperu project in Cherla mandal and released water at 65,000 cuses. District collector K Illambarthi asked the officials to shift the people in low-lying areas to safer locations. NDRF personnel are on standby in both Khammam and Warangal districts for rescue operations.

Water levels in Sabari and Sileru, tributaries of Godavari, are also on the rise. Heavy rains in the last two days caused submergence of several low-lying areas in Karimangar and Adilabad districts, with streams and rivulets in spate.

Several water bodies are overflowing onto the roads, cutting of connectivity between several villages and mandal headquarters. Flood waters have inundated standing crops in several thousands of acres.

In Karimnagar district, 20 villages in Mahadevpur and Mahamuttaram mandals have been cut off from the rest of the district, with communication and transportation links totally snapped. Peddampeta Vagu in Mahadevpur mandal, and Kothapeta Vagu and Routhupalli Vagu in Mahamuttaram mandal are flowing above danger levels.

At Stambampalli village, three houses collapsed injuring a nine-year-old girl. At Kaleshwaram, where Pranahita and Indravati rivers join Godavari river, the water level was 7 meters. The Pushkar Ghat was half submerged in water.

Rivers and rivulets were flowing over low-level bridges cutting of several villages in Adilabad, Bejjur, Jainath, Jaipur, Kagaznagar, Koutalla, Nirmal and Vemanpelly mandals from the rest of Adilabad district.