Forcible evacuation begins in flood-hit villages of Andhra Pradesh

Victims were being shifted on boats to safe places. NDRF 10th Battalion Commandant Zahid Khan said teams have been deployed to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka with life saving equipment to take up relief and rescue operations in wake of heavy rains and floods.

With the flood reaching danger level in the river bed villages, thousands of people in the flood-affected habitations moved to safer places in the nearby hamlets in Eluru and West Godavari districts.

Officers on flood duty were appealing to the people to shift to relief camps as the water level may rise further. All the island villagers were completely submerged in flood in Elamanchili, Achanta and Narsapuram Mandals.

The Irrigation Department personnel discharged 18.47 lakh cusecs from Polavaram project and the water levels at upper spillway was 35.680 metres and lower stream of the spillway was at 27.460 metres.

About 30 tribal villages, located on the river bund in the Agency area were completely marooned and the Koya tribes moved to the hilly areas in Eluru district.

With the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Irrigation Department officials alerting over further rise in flood level in Godavari, officials were forcibly evacuating the villagers in some areas.

“A majority of the villagers are shifting to their relatives and friends' houses located on upland areas. We are asking the locals to vacate the houses as the flood level is increasing,” said West Godavari district Collector P. Prasanthi.