The administration in several districts of Telangana was put on high alert as the State’s lifeline river Godavari was in spate following the unprecedented rains of the last one-week.
While all the major dams were overflowing and their floodgates were opened, one of them, under construction Mid Maner project in Karimnagar district suffered huge damage due to the massive inflow of flood-water. Its bund caved in causing floods in many villages including Manwada, Putturu, Mallapur and Kandikatkur.
In one of the biggest evacuation operation in the state, authorities have moved more than 12,000 people to safer places from several villages under the Mid Maner project and they were being sheltered in relief camps. Two teams of National Disaster Relief Force were also deployed in the affected areas to help in rescue operations.
Officials said that while the capacity of the project was only 3 tmc ft of water, 200,000 cusecs water had reached it creating a serious situation. In view of the grim flood situation, the State Cabinet meeting was cancelled and the Chief Minister directed all the ministers to stay in their respective districts monitoring the situation and coordinating relief works.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao flew to Karimnagar to personally review the situation. He undertook an aerial survey of the flood hit villages before reviewing the situation at a high level meeting at the district collector’s office in Karimnagar city.
Meanwhile all the big dams of Telangana including Nizam Sagar, Sriram Sagar and Jurala project were filled up and massive amount of water was being released from them.
In Nizamabad district, 12 of the 48 gates of Nizam Sagar were opened releasing 60000 cusecs to Manjira reservoir. It was after a gap of ten long years that the water was released from this project.
As Sriramsagar had also reached near the maximum capacity, authorities were releasing 4.15 lakh cusecs of water causing the spate in Godavari river. The dam was reaching the maximum level of 90.31 tmcft.
State agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said that 78 major and medium projects had reached the full level brightening the prospects for the agriculture sector.
Srisailam, the second biggest dam in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was also finally set to reach the maximum levels as the inflows have reached 195000 cusecs following the massive release of water from Jurala project across river Krishna.
Against the maximum level of 885 feet, the water level in Srisailam project had reached 879.5 feet. Against the total capacity of 215.807 tmc ft, the level of water had reached 185 tmc ft. it is after several years that there were bright prospect of the dam getting completely filled following the heavy rains in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra this month.
Authorities were releasing 31226 cusecs water from Srisailam to generate 103 MW power through 7 hydro power units on Andhra Pradesh side and another 35315 cusecs water on Telangana side to generate 150 MW power through six units.
Meanwhile the water released from Srisailam has also started reaching Nagarjuna Sagar dam, the biggest project in the two states. The project, which had completed dried up, was now receiving 73000 cusecs of water.
Meanwhile the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast more rains over next three days in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under the influence of the low pressure which presently lay centered over Vidarbha and Telangana.
The IMD has also warned of more heavy rains at many places over Telangana in the next 24 hours and heavy to very heavy rains over coastal Andhra from 28 Sepember.
Residents of Ratna Complex in Ameerpet themselves lodged a complaint with the Chief Minister that there were illegal structure in the complex and demanded that they should be demolished. They said that they had earlier complained to the GHMC but the builder and his henchmen had threatened them with dire consequences.
In view of the floods in Mid Maner Dam in Karimnagar authorities have got 12000 people evacuated from several villages.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao undertook an aerial survey of the flood affected areas under Mid Maner Dam. later he held a review meeting with the officials at the district collector office in Karimnagar city. The Chief Ministe ordered the officials the tenders earlier given for the works of Mid Maner Project as the delay in the works had led to the floods. He directed the official to call for the fresh tenders.
“Mid Maner has suffered badly because of the huge inflow of water from the Upper Maner project”, KCR said.
The Chief Minister also wanted the officials to alert at Ramannapet in Warangal and Bhadrachalam in Khammam district in view of the floods in river Godavari.