Floods continue to haunt AP

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (UNI) The situation continued to be grim in the Krishna Basin even as threat of fresh floods loomed large over North coastal Andhra Pradesh in the wake of a depression in the Bay of Bengal forcing authorities to step up discharge from the Meghadrigedda Reservoir to 'avoid flooding' of Visakhapatnam Airport once again.

With flood level dropping significantly in the River Godavari at Bhadrachalam and Dowaleswaram, officials were able to move for the first time into over 300 interior villages of East and West Godavari Districts, which remained cut off since last week, Disaster Management Assistant Commissioner Priyadarshini told UNI.

As weathermen predicted heavy rains in Visakhapatnam as also Srikakulam and Vizianagaram in the next 48 hours, the authorities released 300 cusecs from the Meghadrigedda Reservoir to avoid flooding of the airport as experienced during the last week.

Reviewing the flood situation, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy asked the officials to prepare plans and estimates for strengthening of flood bunds even if the inflows rose to 36 lakh cusecs in River Godavari at the Dowleswaram Barrage.

The Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam asked fishermen not to venture into the sea as squally winds with speeds reaching 50-60 Kmph were likely along and off north coastal Andhra coast and the sea conditions would be rough to very rough. Cautionary signal number one was hoisted at the sea ports of Visakhapatnam, Vodarevu and Machilipatnam.

The water release was maintained at 5.19 lakh cusecs from Srisailam, 5.43 lakh cusecs from Nagarjunasagar and 5.32 lakh cusecs from the Prakasam Barrage as River Krishna and its tributary Bhima were in spate in Maharashtra.

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