Officials recently issued a second warning as flood levels surpassed the 50 feet mark in the Godavari River at Bhadrachalam, Telangana. The water flow in the river crossed an alarming point, hitting the 13-lakh cusecs mark.
Causes of Overflow
The overflowing of the river is primarily attributed to heavy rainfall in its catchment areas in the Upper Godavari Basin. Another contributing factor is the discharge of water from the Medigadda Barrage and other reservoirs, which has been receding due to decreasing inflow. Projects in the Krishna Basin, including those at Almatti, Narayanpur, and Tungabhadra in Karnataka, have also discharged water. They provide the majority of the inflows into projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Srisaialam reservoir, which functions as a hydro-electric power plant is also facing increased flood levels with over 3.60 lakh cusecs and a discharge of over 3.17 lakh cusecs.
Key Features of Godavari River
The Godavari River, fondly referred to as the Dakshin Ganga, is the largest peninsular river system in India. The river originates from Trimbakeshwar near Nasik in Maharashtra and traverses a length of approximately 1465 kilometers before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
Geographical Significance
The Godavari basin is geographically significant. It is bordered by the Satmala hills in the north, the Ajanta range and the Mahadeo hills in the south, the Eastern Ghats in the east, and the Western Ghats in the west. The basin stretches across various Indian states including Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and the Union territory of Puducherry.
Tributaries and Urban Centers
The Godavari River boasts numerous tributaries including the Pravara, Purna, Manjra, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Pranhita, Indravati, Maner, and Sabri. In addition, major urban centers such as Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, Rajhmundry are located on its banks.
Cultural and Industrial Aspects
The river not only carries geographical importance, but it also holds a significant cultural value. The renowned Kumbh Mela takes place on the banks of the Godavari River in Nashik. On the industrial front, cities like Nashik and Aurangabad house a large number of industries, predominantly automobiles. Additionally, industries in the basin primarily function based on agricultural produce, namely rice milling, cotton spinning and weaving, sugar and oil extraction. The basin also hosts cement and several small engineering industries.
Important Projects on Godavari
There are multiple significant projects on the Godavari like the Polavaram Irrigation Project, the Kaleshwaram project, the Sadarmatt Anicut, the Inchampalli project, and the Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP). These projects contribute greatly to the region’s irrigation, power generation, and economic development.