VIJAYAWADA: In a tragic incident, an elderly person got washed away in the floodwater of Prakasam Barrage even as Water Resources Minister Anil Kumar Yadav and district collector A Md Imtiyaz and other officials were overseeing the efforts of disaster response force personnel to retrieve a country-made boat that got stuck in the gates of the barrage during the recent floods.
During the recent floods, two country made boats got washed away in the floodwater from upstream and, one of them, was found stuck in the Gate No 68 of the Prakasam Barrage, while the other passed through the gates.
With the water levels coming down now, the water resources department started efforts to remove the boat stuck for the past two days. On Saturday, the authorities took the services of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams to remove the boat, but in vain.
The teams climbed down on to the gates and made all possible efforts, including pulling it up by tying it to a JCB and a tractor by turns with ropes, but were unsuccessful. A good number of onlookers gathered on the barrage to watch the operations. Around 1 pm, a 70-year man leaned over the barrage wall and slipped into the gushing water.
As he was being washed away, minister Anil Kumar and collector Imtiyaz noticed his vain effort to stay afloat in the rushing water. They immediately alerted the NDRF and SDRF personnel as well as local police.
Krishna Lanka police inspector K Satyanandam said the victim, Maddi Appanna, hailed from Bavajipet in the city and came to the barrage to get a glimpse of flowing water in the barrage. “As he leaned forward to have a good look at the water, he slipped and fell down,’’ he said adding that by the time he was rescued a few feet away from the barrage gates by the rescue teams, he was battling for life. By the time he was shifted to hospital, he was dead.
Seeing the visuals on television channels, Appanna’s family members approached the police and identified the victim. Meanwhile, the water resources department officials sought Bekem Infra Pvt Ltd’s assistance to remove the boat.
Speaking to media later, Anil Kumar said experts from various departments and places including Ballari, Bhairavanithippa, Pulichintala and Polavaram were on the job and they were relentlessly trying. He also maintained that there was no water wastage due to the incident.
At 8 pm too, the officials were on the site attempting to retrieve the boat. They were hopeful that they would be able to complete the task by Sunday. The water resources officials also that the water going downstream can’t be seen as wastage as it would have anyway been discharged as water flow increased at the barrage.
Taking to Twitter, former minister Nara Lokesh said the government was not even capable of removing a boat stuck in the crest gates. “It is unfortunate that a person lost his life right in front of a minister. Is it not the responsibility of officials to alert people downstream before releasing water?’’ he asked.