VIJAYAWADA: NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha on Wednesday urged people not to believe “any rumours on social media or elsewhere about floods in Budameru,” advising citizens to remain calm and rely only on official updates. He said a special team is monitoring Budameru water flow from the Velagaleru regulator and clarified that water stagnation in parts of the city is ‘purely due to local rains, not flooding from Budameru.’
Residents would be alerted 24 hours in advance before any water release, which would only occur after relocating people from vulnerable areas, he added. He urged people to call the Collectorate Control Room (91549 70454) for any clarifications and to avoid believing or spreading unverified information. The Collector declared a holiday for all government and private schools on Thursday across the district.
Lakshmisha, along with Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner HM Dhyanachandra, inspected vulnerable areas, including Pinnamaneni Polyclinic Road, Nirmala Convent Road, Gunadala St. John’s School ESI Road, Devinagar, and Madhyakatta. He held a teleconference with Irrigation, Revenue, Panchayat Raj, and Municipal officials, directing them to remain on high alert for the next two to three days as inflows from Pulichintala, Munneru, and catchment areas could push Krishna River flood levels towards 5 lakh cusecs. Special flood monitoring teams have been set up at the village and ward secretariat level to work round-the-clock. Instructions include installing flood warning boards, regular microphone announcements in catchment villages, and continuous checks at Budameru, Munneru and Pulivagu streams.
Heavy rains in Nandigama caused road flooding, power outages, and rising Vaira, Kattaleru, and Munneru streams.
Krishna District In-charge Collector Geetanjali Sharma said the administration remains on continuous alert, monitoring flood conditions closely. In a video conference from the State Secretariat, she said 62 vulnerable villages and 16 island villages had been identified, with officials on standby “learning from last year’s floods.” With Krishna district recording its highest rainfall of 83 mm on Wednesday, she said boats and transport facilities are ready for evacuation if necessary.
“MPDOs, Revenue officials, Municipal Commissioners, and secretariat staff have been directed to stay ready to respond to emergencies,” she said, adding that a district control room and public awareness drives are in place. The State Disaster Management Agency has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in several coastal districts, including Krishna and NTR, over the next two days due to a low-pressure over Bay of Bengal, with Krishna River flood inflows expected to remain high.