HYDERABAD: Adilabad district and Bhadrachalam were in the grip of floods on Wednesday following sudden rise in the level of the Godavari river and its tributaries originating in Orissa and Chattisgarh.

Although the depression weakened and moved away from Chattisgarh towards the west-northwest, skies opened up over Nanded, catchment area of the Godavari, and the west-north tip of Andhra Pradesh.

Gagan Bavda in Maharashtra received a record 460 mm of rain on Tuesday while several places in Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts experienced downpour. The swollen tributaries brought in huge inflows into the Godavari, pushing up its level all along its course in the State. The river rose to 31.4 ft level at Bhadrachalam on Wednesday and it was likely to cross the first warning level of 43 ft there by Thursday morning.

According to a forecast issued by the Central Water Commission, the river may rise up to 44 ft and remain at that level for a day. Villages on either side of the river in Warangal, Khammam and East Godavari districts have been alerted and the officials asked to shift the people to higher areas. Rivulets and streams overflowed in Adilabad district, paralysing traffic at Sirpur, Donkini, Koutala and Bejjoor. The Pranahita was flowing close to danger mark at Balharsha, forcing the railway authorities to stop trains on either side of the bridge there. Similarly, the Godavari almost touched first warning levels at Kaleswaram, Perur, Dummagudem and Coonavaram. Meanwhile, the floods in the Vamsadhara and Nagavali in Srikakulam district subsided.

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