Now Reading: Flood alert for 167 Srikakulam villages as inflows rise
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Flood alert for 167 Srikakulam villages as inflows rise
The Story in Brief
Srikakulam district collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar has placed 167 villages in the Vamsadhara and Nagavali river basins on high alert as flood inflows from upstream are expected to peak on 28 and 29 October. The Central Water Commission and Irrigation Department assessments indicate discharge at the Narayanapuram anicut could range between 1 lakh and 1.8 lakh cusecs, while Thotapalli may receive 41,500 to 72,500 cusecs. Significant inflows are also forecast at the Gotta Barrage, Madduvalasa reservoir and Mahendratanaya river.
Alerts cover 53 villages in the Nagavali basin across Amadalavalasa, Burja, Etcherla and Ponduru mandals, and low-lying areas of Srikakulam city including Gujaratipeta and Fazulbegpeta. Another 114 villages in Narasannapeta, Jalumuru, Polaki, Kothuru and Gara mandals in the Vamsadhara basin are also on alert. Residents have been advised to stay away from riverbanks and avoid grazing cattle near rivers. Rehabilitation centres have been readied, and officials have urged women, children and the elderly to move to safer places when instructed. Control rooms have been set up at mandal and district levels for emergency response.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The five-day flood window puts 167 riverside villages at direct risk of inundation, with the peak expected on 28 and 29 October. The administration has prepared shelters and control rooms, but the warning is limited to vigilance rather than evacuation. The key unresolved variable is whether inflows at Narayanapuram and Thotapalli will cross the upper bounds of the official estimates, which would push water levels past the third danger mark in vulnerable stretches. Residents in the listed mandals and the two named city localities face the most immediate exposure until the floodwaters recede.
The collector has asked residents not to panic and said officials were continuously monitoring the situation.
Source: deccanchronicle.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
