Andhra Pradesh on alert as Godavari rises at Bhadrachalam, first flood warning sounded

The water level is rising due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and it may increase further.

After water level of the Godavari River touched 44.70 feet by 11 pm on Friday, the Irrigation Department officials issued the first warning for the river at Bhadrachalam in Telangana.

The water level is rising due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and it may increase further, The Hindu reported citing Central Water Commission (CWC) officials.

“The Revenue, Police, Medical and Health, ITDA, AP-Transco, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Panchayat Raj and other departments have been put on high alert,” an officer deployed on flood duty was quoted by The Hindu as saying.

Eluru District Collector K. Vetri Selvi was quoted as saying that rice, pulses and other essentials have been distributed for three months in the Agency habitations.

1st Warning ⛔️ ‼️ ⚠️ in force now at Bhadrachalam after last week flood.

As of 7:25 PM, the Godavari River crossed the 43-foot mark, with the water level now at 43.3 feet and a discharge of 9,46,412 cusecs. pic.twitter.com/wBg83N2uFv — Naveen Reddy (@navin_ankampali) August 29, 2025

Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, Jangareddygudem Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) M.V. Ramana said the flood level is likely to reach the second warning level (48 feet) at Bhadrachalam on Saturday.

“The officers posted on flood duty have been instructed to take all measures and evacuate people from the low-lying areas, if possible,” Ramana told The Hindu.

At 11 pm, the water level in the Godavari stood at 44.70 feet and officials released 10,04,800 cusecs of water downstream, the Irrigation officials were quoted as saying.

As per the report, the first warning is currently in force at Bhadrachalam. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain was quoted by The Hindu as saying that at Prakasam Barrage on the Krishna River, the inflows and outflows were maintained at 3,38,572 cusecs.

The inflows into the Tungabhadra Dam were 44,888 cusecs and the officials were discharging the same quantity of water. At Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, the inflows were at 2,47,885 cusecs and the officials released the same quantity of water, the report added. At Pulichintala Dam, the inflows were 2,60,000 cusecs while the outflows were put at 2,10,908 cusecs.

The APSDMA officials said moderate to heavy rainfall was likely to occur in Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR), Parvatipuram-Manyam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts in the next 24 hours. People are requested not to cross rivers and canals which are in spate, Mr. Prakhar Jain said.