Breach in Peddavagu project inundates villages in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad, July 19 (IANS) Hundreds of cattle were washed away and several villages were flooded after a huge breach in Peddavagu Medium Irrigation project in Godavari basin in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

The project breached near Gummadivalli in Aswaraopet mandal late on Thursday night following heavy rains and massive inflows from upstream. Flood water entered the villages near the project in Telangana and also in the downstream region in Eluru district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

The breach led to panic among villagers, who spent the night on rooftops or hillocks. Eyewitnesses said hundreds of cattle were washed away in the affected villages in both the states.

Three villages in Telangana and 15 villages in Andhra Pradesh were affected by the breach, which emptied the water in the project.

Agricultural crops over thousands of acres were damaged due to the breach. With road links to villages snapped, rescue and relief operations could not be taken up.

Aswaraopet MLA Jare Adinarayana, Collector Jitesh V. Patil and Superintendent of Police Rohit Raj along with the officials of the Irrigation Department inspected the project on Friday.

Flood water discharge from the project on Thursday led to inundation of three villages. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescued 28 people trapped in flood waters with the help of two helicopters.

Meanwhile, due to huge inflows from upstream, the water level in the Godavari river is rising at Bhadrachalam. The water level was 24.5 feet at 9 a.m. on Friday. The water level at the upstream Peruru rose to 40.86 feet.

With massive inflows from Indravati and Peruru, officials anticipate that the water level at Bhadrachalam may touch the danger mark. The first danger signal will be hoisted if the water level rises to 43 feet. The second danger signal will be hoisted at 48 feet and the third at 53 feet.

Rivulets and streams were overflowing due to heavy rains. The state government has alerted the district administration.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and expert swimmers have been deployed to take up rescue operations.

Rains continued to lash parts of Telangana under the impact of the low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Khammam, Mahabubabad and Mulugu districts on Friday.