Swollen Yeleru submerges crops in 62,000 acres

Rajamahendravaram : The recent floods from the Yeleru reservoir inundated 62,000 acre agricultural land in Kakinada district. With the Yeleru and Tandava reservoirs overflowing, the Kakinada district has been severely affected. Heavy rains caused the Yeleru reservoir to overflow, leading to widespread damage. District collector S Shanmohan briefed Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday about the situation, noting that floodwaters have flowed on roads in the Pithapuram and Pedapuram constituencies, disrupting transportation.

Floodwaters have cut off transport on Pithapuram-Raparthi, Pedapuram-Kakinada and Samarlakota-Pithapuram routes. Due to high floodwater levels on the national highway near Gollaprolu, traffic has been diverted. Boats have been deployed in affected areas, and flood relief operations are underway.

According to the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Information & Management System (APWRIMS), 108 reservoirs in the state are filled to 78 per cent capacity, storing 773 tmc ft of water. The Yeleru reservoir is at over 90 per cent capacity, holding 22 tmc ft. However, inflows are gradually decreasing, according to the collector.

Authorities have identified breaches at seven points along the Eluru flood path. Without these breaches, the impact on Gollaprolu and Pithapuram mandals would have been more severe. The Yeleru floods have affected Pithapuram, Prathipadu, and Pedapuramconstituencies where 1,200houses damaged.

Meanwhile, a second flood warning is in effect at the Dowleswaram barrage, with 13 lakh cusecs of water being released. East Godavari district collector P Prashanti has announced that due to the swollen Godavari river, Ganesh immersion will be prohibited for two days. She has urged people to avoid fishing and bathing in the river for safety.

People have been cautioned against going into the river for bathing while fishermen have also been warned against venturing into the river.

The Deputy CM spoke to Eluru district collector K Vetri Selvi also over the phone to review the flood situation in the district. She informed him that due to heavy rains upstream, Yeleru and Thandava reservoirs received huge inflows and as a result crops over 62,000 acre in the district were submerged.