With the Godavari river flowing above danger mark and water level rising further, authorities in Telangana's Bhadrachalam town on Thursday closed the famous bridge for traffic and imposed prohibitory orders to make people stay indoors.
Police closed the traffic on both sides of this bridge which links the temple town to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
The restrictions were imposed at 5 p.m. for a period of 48 hours as a precautionary measure as the river was flowing above the danger mark, inundating some residential areas in the town and the adjoining low-lying villages.
This is the second time in the history of this bridge that it has been closed due to floods. The last time it was closed for traffic was in 1986 when water level had reached 75.6 feet.
On Thursday evening, the water level at Bhadrachalam had crossed 61 feet. Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar, who was reviewing the situation, said the water level was likely to reach a peak in the night.
At 5 p.m., the water level was 61.80 feet, much above the third flood level of 53 feet. The minister, however, said the district administration was geared up to tackle the situation even if the level reaches 70-72 feet.
Authorities also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in Bhadrachalam and Burgampadu mandals. Officials said this was done to stop people from coming out from their homes as they may be at risk due to the flood situation.
Bhadradri temple and Annadanam area have submerged due to Godavari floods. At least five colonies in the town were also inundated.
Officials said over 6,000 people have been shifted to 43 camps in Bhadrachalam. Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the town.
Around 19,071 people have been shifted to 223 special camps in the state. Officials said 4,049 people shifted to 33 camps in Mulugu and 1,226 people to 20 camps in Bhupalpally.
Sixteen people have been rescued by the NDRF while another two persons were airlifted by the Indian Air Force so far.
A total of seven NDRF teams have been deployed. Of them, three are in Bhadrachalam and two each in Mulugu and Bhupalpally.
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, who reviewed the flood situation, stated that special focus is now on Mulugu, Bhupalpally, and Bhadrachalam districts due to heavy discharge. The low-lying areas have been identified and the situation is being continuously monitored on an hourly basis.
Officials informed that the IMD has predicted light rainfall in 9 districts, very light rains in another 10 districts while the remaining districts will receive no rainfall. The situation in most of the districts is normal and no major incidents have been reported from any district, he said.
