BHADRACHALAM SUBMERGED!

Khammam : After two days of heavy rain in the districts of Kothagudem and Khammam, daily life was disrupted on Wednesday along with delays in transportation, and coal production coming to a halt.

With the floodwater entering the Bhadrachalam town situated on the banks of the river Godavari, the areas surrounding the Ramalayam temple were flooded with water. The water also reached the Annadana Satram of the temple and all the roads leading to the temple were submerged.

The Ramalayam area has been submerged in water since Wednesday morning and the people have suffered a lot with the stagnation of water.

Upon learning the development, an angry Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao directed authorities to lift the floodwater from the town into the river. Following which, authorities lifted the sluice locks of the Godavari river and released the floodwater into the river, bringing relief to the residents of Ramalayam area. Seven electric and two diesel pumps were used to pump the rainwater into the river.

To assess the situation, District Collector Jitesh V Patil travelled to the town of Bhadrachalam. He informed the media that the stories about Godavari reaching the town were untrue and that the town’s waterlogging was caused by a lot of rain.

Meanwhile, the basement of the 100-year-old Sri Kusuma Harinadha Baba temple was destroyed and the Kalyana Mandapam of the temple sunk. Steps were being taken by officials to keep the mandapam from collapsing.

Rainwater infiltrated various portions of the Kothagudem town, including the LIC office, old Kothagudem, and Vidyanagar Colony. At the Marwadi camp in historic Kothagudem, an old house fell; fortunately, no injuries were recorded.

However, a 40-year-old old man died in temple town Bhadrachalam. The unidentified man, who earned his livelihood by collecting papers and other items from the road, accidentally drowned after falling into an open drain.

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Centre was surrounded by water when Guntivagu spilled in Chunchupally Mandal, making it impossible for vehicles to get to the hospital; a doctor had to treat a pregnant woman in an autorickshaw.

Homes in the Paloncha Mandal villages of Oddugudem and Jagannathapuram were submerged by rainwater. Villages in Vemsoor, Mulkalapalli mandal in Kothagudem, and Konijerla mandal in Khammam district were cut off due to overflowing streams, while Kothagudem-Vijayawada and Kothagudem-Khammam transportation was impacted.

On Wednesday, between 8.30 am and 12 pm, Chunchupally mandal reported a heavy 7.5 cm rainfall, while Bhadrachalam and Chandrugonda mandals recorded 6 cm. Kothagudem received 4.2 cm of rain, while Laxmidevipalli and Annapureddypalli received 5.5 cm. At Paloncha, officials opened four gates of the Kinnerasani reservoir to let out 20,000 cubic centimetres of extra water. Twenty-four gates were raised at the Taliperu project in Cherla Mandal to release 52,912 cusecs of surplus water.