VIJAYAWADA: G Srijana, NTR District Collector, attributed the recent disaster in Vijayawada to the growing impacts of climate change, stressing how the region’s infrastructure narrowly averted a more severe crisis.
She highlighted the importance of structures like Nagarjuna Sagar, Puli Chintala, and Almatti barrages, which helped manage the floodwaters. Built 67 years ago with a capacity of 11 lakh cusecs, the Prakasam Barrage faced unprecedented pressure during the recent heavy inflows. She raised concerns about the barrage’s capacity to handle future disasters without additional infrastructure improvements.
Speaking at the Collectorate, she detailed the scale of the crisis, which resulted in 43,000 cusecs of water from the Budameru catchment area submerging low-lying areas and farmland.
The Velagaleru regulator and the G Kondur region both recorded around 90 cm of rainfall, compounding the floodwaters in the Krishna River. She pointed out that if the Velagaleru gates had not been lifted, the regulator gates might have collapsed. The weak Budameru bund was another contributing factor to the disaster.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu played a crucial role in managing the crisis, monitoring relief efforts for over ten days and launching ‘Operation Budameru’ to address the issue permanently. This initiative targets canal encroachments, with 270 acres of agricultural land, 80 structures, and 3,000 homes identified for action.
In response to the flood, 4,036 enumerators carried out re-verification across 179 secretariats, identifying 1.75 lakh homes in flood-hit areas. Financial relief was swift, with Rs 157.85 crore processed for 2,740 accounts within three days. Insurance claims were handled by 20 companies, and over 2,000 workers provided additional relief to affected families.
Security measures are also in place for the Dussehra festival, with over 13 lakh devotees expected to visit Durga Temple during the celebrations.