Fear of floods looming over 155 river islets

By Express News Service

RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: This monsoon, residents of 155 lankas (river islets) of River Godavari at 24 mandals in East Godavari district are feeling threatened due to the ever-present fear of floods.

River Godavari gets divided into several distributaries after it crosses Rajamahendravaram, which has several islets. For several decades now, people have been residing here and their primary source of income is farming. Several islets are also present in the river upstream of Rajamahendravaram.

Every year, with the onset of monsoon, threat of floods and inundation looms large over these islets.  However, most of the residents, who are farmers, are continuing with their activities. “Number of people living in the islets is not small. It is in several thousand, if not lakhs,” said Suryanarayana Murthy of Atreyapuram.

The residents are heavily dependent on boats for commuting, which puts them at risk. “We are habituated to commute on boats. There are only limited bridges connecting the islets. However, during rains, commuting on boats or through the bridges is a risky affair,” said Nagamani, a resident of Sakhinetipalli.  

According to Krishnamurthy from I Polavaram mandal, which has 10 river islets, interruption in power supply is a recurring problem at the islets. During floods, when the islets are cut-off from the rest of the world, dealing with a medical emergency becomes an ordeal. “More roads connecting the islets with bridges are required,” he stressed.

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