PM hikes relief to Rs 400 crore, AP gets fresh flood threat

Hyderabad, Aug 11 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today doubled immediate Central assistance to Rs 400 crore for Andhra Pradesh as focus shifted from Godavari Basin to Krishna Basin, while fresh flood threat loomed large over the north coastal region in the wake of a low pressure area over Bay of Bengal becoming well-marked.

After making an aerial survey of the flood ravage caused by the River Godavari and its tributary Penganga, the Prime Minister announced here that Rs 200 crore would be given to the state from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF), apart from the Rs 200 crore announced by the Centre during the visit of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi along with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, from the National Calamity Relief Fund.

As the state government put the intial estimate of losses at Rs 1,014 crore, the Prime Minister promised to send a Central team shortly to assess the damage and provide further assistance. Dr Singh also announced Rs one lakh exgratia from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the families of the over 110 deceased.

With Krishna's tributary Bhima in spate in the upper riparian state of Karnataka, the flood situation was alarming in the Krishna Basin as 5.30 lakh cusecs was let out into the sea from Srisailam, 5.24 lakh cusecs from Nagarjunasagar and 5.14 lakh cusecs from the Prakasam Barrage after discharging 16,609 cusecs into irrigation canals.

With the low pressure area over north Bay of Bengal off north Orissa-West Bengal becoming well-marked today, threat of fresh floods loomed large over north coastal Andhra Pradesh which was limping back to normalcy.

Even as the level in Godavari came down to 47 ft in the temple town of Bhadrachalam and 15.60 ft in Dowleswaram following discharge of 15.83 lakh cusecs of water in to the sea, large parts of the worst-hit Khammam, East and West Godavari Districts were still in water.

''It will take two to four days for the flood waters to drain from the Godavari delta,'' Disaster Management Commissioner Debabratha Kanta said.

Several villages in the Polavaram Agency Mandal were still marooned with flood victims crying for help, a report from Eluru said.

UNI TEAM SM GM SI RS2137