Floodwater outflow from Prakasam barrage increases

Vijayawada: Krishna district collector DK Balaji on Tuesday instructed the officials to remain alert and available at their respective headquarters, and to take all necessary precautionary measures as the Krishna River flood water outflow from Prakasam barrage is increasing. He reviewed the floodwater levels which crossed 4.32 lakh cusecs on Tuesday evening. Collector Balaji conducted a video conference with the district and field-level officials to review the flood situation.

During the meeting, the collector stated that currently 4.35 lakh cusecs of floodwater is released from Prakasam Barrage into the Krishna River. He said areas along the Krishna River, especially the mandals of Thotlavalluru, Penamaluru, Koduru, and Nagayalanka, as well as those along the Budameru stream, should remain highly alert. Officials and staff must stay at their headquarters, closely monitor the situation, and take appropriate action as needed. He said that no one is allowed to take leave until the flood situation comes under control. Specifically, Village Revenue Officers (VROs), Panchayat Secretaries, engineers from the Water Resources and Panchayat Raj Departments, and Secretariat staff should all remain available at their headquarters until the floodwaters recede.

He directed that higher authorities must update regularly about the flood situation. If the flood discharge exceeds 6 lakh cusecs, people in Lanka (island) villages must be evacuated to safer locations without fail. Boats should be kept ready for this purpose, and trucks and cranes must also be arranged to transport these boats to necessary locations. Since flood intensity is particularly high in Thotlavalluru mandal, the 17 boats currently available should be deployed to the required areas by this evening. Special attention must be given to pregnant women, lactating mothers, dialysis patients, children, and the elderly—ensuring they are moved to safe locations in advance. He said proper arrangements for food, drinking water, and medical camps must be made at the rehabilitation centres.

The collector said that during last year’s floods, some residents refused to evacuate because they didn’t want to abandon their livestock.

This time, animals must also be relocated to safer places in advance, he added. He praised the excellent coordination between police and revenue officials during the previous floods and urged them to maintain the same level of diligence this time as well. Life jackets are available at the Collectorate and should be taken by the Police Department for use wherever necessary, collector stated. He also emphasised that the e-crop registration process in Lanka villages should be completed promptly. Failure to do so could create problems in estimating crop loss due to floods. Samples of food and drinking water provided at relief centres must be collected and inspected by food safety officials to ensure quality.

District SP Gangadhar Rao added that people try to cross the causeways at night without realising the danger due to poor visibility. Therefore, electric lighting must be arranged at such locations. He also suggested deploying a disaster response team in the district and keeping it on standby.

Water Resources Department SE Mohan Rao informed that 3.96 lakh cusecs of floodwater is being released from Pulichintala Project into the Prakasam Barrage, and that the total inflow into the barrage stands at 4.26 lakh cusecs.

He said a second flood warning will be issued if the discharge reaches 5.66 lakh cusecs. Sandbags have already been placed at vulnerable points along the embankments as a precautionary measure.

Joint collector Geethanjali Sharma, DRO K Chandrasekhar Rao, Tahsildars, MPDOs, Municipal Commissioners, and other district officials attended the meeting.