ANANTAPUR: Around 2,300 people have been rescued in Anantapur town as rains continued to lash the district for the third straight day on Thursday.As many as 1,200 people were shifted to shelter homes on Wednesday alone. This is the first time Anantapur has witnessed floods of such intensity, inundating several residential areas in the town.
The incessant rains resulted in the overflowing of Alamuru, Katnei and Bukkacheruvu streams on the southern side of the city. Rajaka Nagar and Rangaswamy Nagar were among the severely-hit areas as a majority of the buildings and structures in these colonies are constructed on the encroached lands of Nadimi Vanka.
Road connectivity to Tadipatri, Narpala, Garladinne, Kanaganapalle, Tagarakunta, Kakalapalli, Bukkarayasamudram, Singanamala was also hit. A cement-laden truck was washed away when the driver, who was reportedly in an inebriated condition, tried to cross the bridge over Bukkarayasamudram canal.
He was later rescued.Meanwhile, residential colonies, including Chandrababu Naidu Kottala, Rudrampeta, Moturu Udayam Colony, Vikalangula Kottala, Viswashanthi Nagar, Janashakthi Nagar, Prashanthi Nagar, Adarsh Colony, BNR Colony, Sundaraiah Colony, Zakir Colony, Nadimi Vanka 4th and 5th roads, remained under waist-deep water for the second consecutive day.
Police and two State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams evacuated approximately 1,000 people from these colonies. As many as 90 fire personnel were involved in the rescue operations.Anantapur DSP Aarla Srinivasulu said the department had initiated rescue operations from October 10.
“People residing in the low-lying areas are being shifted to relief centres set up at schools, function halls and temples,” he said.District fire officer Srinivas Reddy said, “Rescuing people who return to their homes from the shelter camps has become a herculean task On Wednesday, residents of Dandora and Rajaka Nagar went back to their residences without informing officials at the relief camps. They had to be evacuated again in the evening.”
Anantapur Collector S Naga Lakshmi said the administration has been providing food, bed sheets and drinking water to the people at the relief centres. Later in the day, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to extend financial assistance of Rs 2,000 and essentials to every flood-hit family.