PremiumAMARAVATI : After showing signs of receding, the flood flow in river Godavari is inching back towards the danger mark on Thursday evening, mainly at upstream Bhadrachalam, due to heavy rains in the catchment area. This could result in increased inflows into the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowaleswaram in Andhra Pradesh, according to sources.
On the other side, river Krishna is also in full flow, almost filling the Srisailam reservoir to capacity.
With an inflow of 4.17 lakh cusecs, Srisailams storage increased to 211.04 tmc ft, leaving a flood cushion of only 4.77 tmc ft.
Consequently, seven crest gates of the reservoir were opened and 3.84 lakh cusecs of water was being discharged downstream after power generation in the two stations on either banks.
The Nagarjuna Sagar dam downstream was receiving an inflow of 1.69 lakh cusecs till late Thursday evening but the level may increase by Friday morning.
The water flow at Godavari fell to about 43 metres, below the warning level of 45.72 m, at Bhadrachalam in neighbouring Telangana late Wednesday night but the floodwaters gushed in afresh on Thursday, pushing the level closer to the danger mark at 48.24 m.
According to the Central Water Commission forecast, the flood flow would touch the danger level of 48.77 m late on Thursday night due to heavy to very heavy rainfall forecast in the catchment region.
The floodwaters would reach the Cotton Barrage via Polavaram by Friday.
The second warning has been continuing at the Cotton Barrage as a discharge of 14 lakh cusecs continued.
Tens of villages in East and West Godavari districts still remained marooned, though there was some respite with the water level dwindling. But the prospect of increased flood flow has once again pushed everyone into a state of alert.
Sources in the State Disaster Management Authority here said the relief camps in the two districts were continuing and would remain so till the flood threat fully subsides.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
