Panic grips Alluri Sitharamaraju district in AP amid fresh flooding

KAKINADA: A fresh flood, within a month of a devastating deluge, is giving a hard time to the people and authorities of the Alluri Seetharam Raju district in Andhra Pradesh. Overflowing flood water from Sabari, a tributary of river Godavari, is posing a serious threat to the villages located in mandals that were merged into Andhra Pradesh from Telangana at the time of state's bifurcation.

Due to inundation, about 80 villages in the adjoining region have been cut off from the mainland. River Godavari is in floods once again owing to incessant rains in many parts of Telangana, adding to the woes of the residents in the district.

Not so long ago, these villages and several more were submerged in the devastating floods. With receding water levels in river Godavari, life was limping back to normalcy in these areas. But the alarmingly rising water level in the river, for the second time in 20 days, is keeping residents Koonavaram, Nellipaka, Chintoor and VR Puram mandals on tenterhooks.

People in the flood-affected areas say that they were tired of complaining about inadequate relief measures and lack of fool-proof steps to prevent submerge in their area. Frequent flooding has cost them their homes and livelihoods, they lamented.