Hyderabad/Karimnagar: The Telangana government on Sunday launched its biggest operation to evacuate people in several districts in the Godavari basin with unprecedented rain causing flooding of the river and forcing officials to release excess water from brimming dams.
Tens of thousands of villagers in Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Khammam, and Warangal were shifted to safer places on the directives of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who monitored the rain situation from his camp office. The chief minister instructed irrigation minister T Harish Rao to evacuate people and cattle from the villages hit by floods in view of release of water from various dams, including Nizamsagar, Sriramsagar, Jurala, Pulichintala, and Srisailam dam.
"All the dams except Nagarjunasagar are almost full and water is being released. As per the chief minister's instructions, we are carrying out evacuation in all affected districts," said Harish Rao, who visited Manwada village in Boainapalle mandal in Karimnagar to oversee the ongoing evacuation operation.
In view of grim flood situation, and a heavy rainfall warning for the next couple of days, the chief minister cancelled a cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday and asked all ministers and officials to camp in their respective districts to monitor rescue and relief operations. Harish Rao also cancelled a video conference with officials on Mission Kakatiya which was scheduled for Monday. The ministry of water resources on Sunday issued a flood alert in the districts around Godavari and Krishna basins in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. "The districts which may see low to moderate floods are Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Khammam," the water resources ministry said in a statement.
An IMD report said clouds moving northwest and over Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh might result in heavy rains, which may trigger floods in Godavari from its tributaries -Pranahita and Indravati -in the coming days.
In Medak, the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose help was sought by the government, rescued 23 people who were stranded on an island. Two Chetak helicopters of the IAF carried out sorties on flood-hit Edupayala village in Medak district in an hourlong operation. About 23 construction workers trapped on the island were moved to a safer place. For the first time in recent history, 11 gates of Nizamsagar were lifted. Each gate discharged 6,000 cusecs and the irrigation minister said the total discharge would be increased to one lakh cusecs. Heavy discharge was reported from other projects, including Sriramsagar, Yellampalli, Mid-Maneru, and Pulichintala that reached 30 tmcft storage level for the first time.
Meanwhile, water from the under-construction Mid Manair dam at Boinapally mandal, which received 1.40 lakh cusecs of water and reached storage capacity of 3 tmcft, started overflowing. Authorities said about 1.80 lakh cusecs of water overflowed from the bund and the earthen embankment was breached, resulting in heavy floods. As a precautionary measure, over 20,000 families in Manwada, Kudurpaka, Kotturu and Mallapur villages were shifted to rehabilitation camps.
The Mid Manair project with a 26-tmcft storage capacity is getting rain water from Uppar Manair dam in Ghambhiraopet mandal in Karimnagar that overflowed for the first time since it was constructed in 1950.
The Lower Manair Dam (LMD) in Karimnagar town reached maximum storage capacity of 24 tmcft and 3,000 cusecs of water has been flowing out against 75,000 cusecs of water inflow from the SRSP and flood flow projects.
Tens of thousands of villagers in Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Khammam, and Warangal were shifted to safer places on the directives of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who monitored the rain situation from his camp office. The chief minister instructed irrigation minister T Harish Rao to evacuate people and cattle from the villages hit by floods in view of release of water from various dams, including Nizamsagar, Sriramsagar, Jurala, Pulichintala, and Srisailam dam.
"All the dams except Nagarjunasagar are almost full and water is being released. As per the chief minister's instructions, we are carrying out evacuation in all affected districts," said Harish Rao, who visited Manwada village in Boainapalle mandal in Karimnagar to oversee the ongoing evacuation operation.
In view of grim flood situation, and a heavy rainfall warning for the next couple of days, the chief minister cancelled a cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday and asked all ministers and officials to camp in their respective districts to monitor rescue and relief operations. Harish Rao also cancelled a video conference with officials on Mission Kakatiya which was scheduled for Monday. The ministry of water resources on Sunday issued a flood alert in the districts around Godavari and Krishna basins in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. "The districts which may see low to moderate floods are Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Khammam," the water resources ministry said in a statement.
An IMD report said clouds moving northwest and over Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh might result in heavy rains, which may trigger floods in Godavari from its tributaries -Pranahita and Indravati -in the coming days.
In Medak, the Indian Air Force (IAF), whose help was sought by the government, rescued 23 people who were stranded on an island. Two Chetak helicopters of the IAF carried out sorties on flood-hit Edupayala village in Medak district in an hourlong operation. About 23 construction workers trapped on the island were moved to a safer place. For the first time in recent history, 11 gates of Nizamsagar were lifted. Each gate discharged 6,000 cusecs and the irrigation minister said the total discharge would be increased to one lakh cusecs. Heavy discharge was reported from other projects, including Sriramsagar, Yellampalli, Mid-Maneru, and Pulichintala that reached 30 tmcft storage level for the first time.
Meanwhile, water from the under-construction Mid Manair dam at Boinapally mandal, which received 1.40 lakh cusecs of water and reached storage capacity of 3 tmcft, started overflowing. Authorities said about 1.80 lakh cusecs of water overflowed from the bund and the earthen embankment was breached, resulting in heavy floods. As a precautionary measure, over 20,000 families in Manwada, Kudurpaka, Kotturu and Mallapur villages were shifted to rehabilitation camps.
The Mid Manair project with a 26-tmcft storage capacity is getting rain water from Uppar Manair dam in Ghambhiraopet mandal in Karimnagar that overflowed for the first time since it was constructed in 1950.
The Lower Manair Dam (LMD) in Karimnagar town reached maximum storage capacity of 24 tmcft and 3,000 cusecs of water has been flowing out against 75,000 cusecs of water inflow from the SRSP and flood flow projects.