Rajamahendravaram/Kakinada: Heavy rains in the Godavari districts have disrupted daily life, causing significant damage to crops, especially paddy fields, submerged roads, and flooding in houses on Friday.
Tragedy struck in Tirugudem village under Nidadavolu Assembly constituency, where Gantasala Venkateswara Rao (55) lost his life in the Yerrakalva stream while fishing, swept away by strong currents. Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh, accompanied by East Godavari district Collector P Prasanthi, assessed the situation in submerged villages like Kamsalipalem, Singavaram, and Ravimetla, reporting that nearly 13,000 acres of paddy fields were submerged, each cultivated at a cost of Rs 20,000 per acre. With increasing inflows into the River Godavari, four lakh cusecs of water was discharged into the sea from the Polavaram spillway and Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage.
Dr. BR Ambedkar Konaseema District Collector Mahesh Kumar Ravirala informed that floodwaters, released at a rate of 3.5 lakh cusecs from Cotton Barrage, could surge to seven lakh cusecs.
Residents of island villages at Burugulanka jetty in P Gannavaram mandal faced severe inconvenience as the temporary crossing over River Vashishta was washed away Thursday night.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a video conference on Friday with Collectors and SPs from the worst-affected districts, instructing them to take proactive measures to protect lives and property.
In Konaseema district, officials ensured the safety of 2,319 residents on four island villages by providing mechanized boats and life jackets due to the submerged condition of fish ponds and the impending inundation of the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Antarvedi, Sakhinetipalli mandal.
Mahesh Kumar directed officials to preemptively manage rescue operations in flooded mandals, coordinating through video conferences with special officers from nine affected mandals.
In West Godavari district, overflowing streams prompted authorities to evacuate residents to nearby shelter homes. Floodwaters entered the Gandi Pochamma temple at Gonduru village in Devipatnam mandal of ASR district, leading to precautionary evacuations of vulnerable groups.
The breach at the Peda Vagu project affected several villages in the Polavaram Assembly constituency, including Kammarigudem, Alluri Nagar, Medepalli, Madhavaram, Ramavaram, Gullavai, and Ontibanda.