Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah directed the irrigation engineers on Friday to be alert following the cyclone threat issued by Meteorological Department.
Talking to media persons after convening a meeting with Special Commissioner Sanjay Gupta and Irrigation chief engineer Rahman, Lakshmaiah directed them to put all engineers on alert, as the dams were brimming with water following heavy rains.
The Irrigation Minister asked the engineers to review water flow on an hourly basis and lift flood gates based on the situation to prevent damage to property and lives.
Lakshmaiah also directed the officials to shift people from low-lying areas to safer places.
The Meteorological department had warned the officials earlier in the day that the state might receive heavy rains in the next 24 hours.
"Godavari, Krishna, Vamsadhra and Nagavali rivers are in spate following heavy rains on upper stretches and discharging water into sea to avert floods this year," Lakshmaiah pointed out.
The Irrigation Minister said 3300 TMC water from Godavari, 188 TMC water from Krishna and 38 TMC water from Vamsadhara had been discharged into sea to prevent floods.
Lakshmaiah said the officials had collected images from satellites to prove that the construction of irrigation dam on Babli, taken up by Maharashtra government was ‘illegal.’
The Minister stated that the images would be produced in the Supreme Court to substantiate state government’s views.