RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM/VIJAYAWADA: Though floods in the Godavari are receding, tribal villages in both Godavari districts located upstream of the Polavaram irrigation project along the river course continued to remain marooned in the floodwater on Monday.At 9 pm, the water level at Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Dowleswaram was 9.8 feet and the flood discharge was 7,48,983 cusecs, which is likely to decrease as flood-levels at Bhadrachalam, upstream of the Polavaram project, are gradually receding.
However, there is no let up in the situation at Polavaram cofferdam, where the flood-level stood at 33 metre and the discharge was 8 lakh cusecs at its spillway.Road connectivity to 32 villages in Velerupadu mandal of West Godavari remained cutoff and power connectivity was yet to be restored in Tekupalli, Tallagondi, Pusugondi, Koida, Kaacharam, Kunkudukoyyalapakalu, Siddhartham, Burreddigude, Tekuru, Katkuru, Kotturu, Turupu Metta, Padamati meta, Narlavaram and other villages, as electricity poles at some of the places were still submerged.Bridges on Eddelawagu, Tekuru Vagu, Mellavagu, and Peddavagu were also under water.
Though flood-levels were high, West Godavari collector Kartikeya Mishra visited the tribal villages in Polavaram and other mandals affected by the backwaters of the Polavaram project in a launch. He left for the marooned villages from Koida, a boating point for tours to Papikondalu and Korattur.
He interacted with people, who poured out their woes and apprehensions regarding compensation. He assured that compensation would be given to all eligible persons and there was no need for any worry.
Meanwhile, voices demanding immediate compensation for the project displaced families got louder. A man in Gondur village of Deviptanam mandal tried to jump in the river demanding compensation, but was stopped in time.
When Rampachodavaram ITDA Project Officer Praveen Aditya visited the village and asked the people to shift in wake of the village being flooded, the villagers refused as they said they no longer trust the government as it had gone back on its promise to implement the resettlement and rehabilitation package.
“If someone dies in an accident, they are given compensation in lakhs, but for displaced people, who had to forgo their ancestral lands, homes and livelihood, there is an inordinate delay,” the locals alleged.
On the other hand, copious inflows into the Srisailam project continued. At 8.00 pm., water-level in the project stood at 872.4 feet against the full reservoir level of 885 feet. With the heavy flood discharge from Tungabhadra Dam, inflows to Srisailam project were expected to increase further.