The Godavari River in Basar, Nirmal district, experienced a relentless surge in its water levels on Sunday. This dramatic rise, fueled by continuous floodwater releases from upstream dams, has led to significant inundation of numerous low-lying areas situated along the riverbanks in the sacred temple town.
Raging floodwaters have engulfed various private accommodations and a local choultry, creating immense disruption for pilgrims observing the sacred Sarannavaratri festivities in Basar, home to Goddess Gnana Saraswati. Reports indicate that devotees were forced to navigate through streets submerged in knee-deep water.
Even with a temporary respite from rainfall across much of north Telangana on Sunday, the Godavari and its many tributaries witnessed escalated water levels. This was primarily due to the massive volumes of surplus water being discharged from irrigation projects located further upstream in Maharashtra.
Major irrigation projects, including Sriramsagar (SRSP), Kaddam Narayan Reddy, and Sripada Yellampalli, are currently overflowing, thanks to consistent inflows from their respective upstream dams. Furthermore, the Godavari is experiencing unrestricted flow at the Lakshmi (Medigadda) barrage, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district’s Mahadevpur mandal. As of 6 p.m. on Sunday, both the inflow and outflow at this point registered an alarming 8.03 lakh cusecs.
Meanwhile, in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, the initial flood warning for Bhadrachalam remains active. The Godavari River there continued to flow at 43.50 feet by 7 p.m. on Sunday, surpassing the first flood warning level by a noticeable margin.