31 Dead, Over 4.5 Lakh People Displaced As Heavy Rains Batter Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Torrential downpour in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh left 31 persons dead, battered roads and rail tracks snapping connectivity, submerged thousands of acres of agricultural crops and left people scampering for daily needs as rescue agencies were pressed into into rehabilitation efforts.

Defence officials on Tuesday (September 3) said two Indian Air Force C-130 aircraft were dispatched from Agartala with relief material for the affected areas in the two Telugu-speaking states. Four Mi-17 and Chetak helicopters each were also deployed, even as 20 SDRF and 19 NDRF teams are already engaged in relief and rescue operations.

Both states were reeling from the impact of the rains on Monday (September 2), as 16 persons were killed in Telangana and 15 others in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which particularly bore the brunt. At least 4.5 lakh people were affected in Andhra, even as heart-wrenching scenes of people struggling to ensure essentials, including milk, were witnessed in the worst-affected Vijayawada.

An official press release said the most affected districts included NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam. Life was completely thrown out of gear in Vijayawada following torrential downpour over the past three days and with more than 24 hours of power cuts in several parts of the city.

An Mi-17 aircraft of the air force, loaded with food, water and medicines, was seen distributing relief material at Vijaywada airport. An additional Il-76 carrier also landed at the city’s airport with 120 NDRF personnel.

Andhra Pradesh bears the brunt of torrential downpour

Visuals aired on local television news channels showed a woman lamenting to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that people were stranded for two days in Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada without drinking water. She complained no boat came to their rescue while another man standing in waist deep waters begged Naidu, who was touring the flood-affected areas for the third time, to understand their predicament.

People were seen wading through floodwaters carrying their children on shoulders to safety while an old woman lying on a mattress was seen being shifted over floodwaters by two persons. Some people tried to help themselves through the deluge using a rope.

As people waded through the floodwaters, some held on to some basic necessities in their hands and a large queue was formed at one of the flood-affected places to collect milk sachets and food packets. At one such place, a flood victim complained they did not have milk since September 1 and alleged no help came their way from the government.

Internet and mobile telephone connectivity were disrupted and long traffic snarls disrupted normal life. Connectivity to Hyderabad was affected. Transportation within Vijayawada city and its vicinity was chaotic. At Prakasam Barrage, 11.3 lakh cusecs of floodwaters were discharged by 8 am on Monday.

Telangana seeks immediate central aid of Rs 2,000 crore

The Telangana government on Monday put the damage from the rain fury at Rs 5,000 crore citing preliminary estimates. It sought an immediate central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas and declare the floods as a national calamity. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those killed in rain-related incidents.

The chief minister held a meeting with ministers and officials at Suryapet as part of his visit to rain-hit areas. State IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu said full details on the loss of life and others will be known after reports on damage are received.

A press release said the state government will submit a comprehensive report on the flood damage to the Centre. Officials informed the CM that crops in over 1.5 lakh acres suffered damage as per preliminary estimates.

The flood-hit areas of Khammam presented a scene of extensive damage as household items were washed away and some items carried away by water were stuck to the gates of houses. Residents of flood-affected areas narrated their woes to state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who visited them.

An official of the Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway (SCR) said due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on the SCR network, a total of 432 trains were cancelled and 13 trains were partially cancelled. He said 139 trains were diverted till Monday afternoon, while restoration works were underway.

Due to incessant rains in the two states, flooding and breaches were reported in Kazipet-Vijayawada section and five trains were stranded. More than 7,500 passengers from these trains were brought to the nearest railway stations in state-run RTC buses on September 1 and special trains were arranged to take them to their destinations.

A large number of lorries were stranded on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway near Kodada as water was flowing on the road. The officials urged those travelling to Vijayawada to use the Narkatpalli-Addanki highway as an alternative.

(With PTI inputs)