VIJAYAWADA: Relief and rescue operations were intensified on Tuesday as floodwater levels in areas hit by the Budameru deluge and inflows to the Prakasam Barrage receded.
According to officials, 6,44,536 people have been affected due to the floods. As many as 190 relief camps have been set up and 44,041 people have been shifted to the camps. More than two dozen drones have been employed to drop food and medicines in the flood-affected areas that are inaccessible to boats and choppers.
Besides NDRF and SDRF personnel, several volunteers also joined the rescue efforts. A total of 26 NDRF and 22 SDRF teams are engaged in the flood relief operations. Some Ministers also helped in carrying out the relief works.
Five choppers, belonging to the Indian Air Force and Navy, operated several sorties to drop food and water, and rescued people stranded in the floodwater.
Speaking to mediapersons late on Tuesday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu elaborated on the steps that will be taken as soon as the floodwater is cleared. Stating that roads are being restored and vehicular movement will resume shortly, he said, “We will take stock of all losses. Once the enumeration is done, a report will be sent to the Centre for seeking assistance. We will shortly hold a meeting with bankers and insurance companies to settle claims. We will also formulate a strategy to assist small business which have suffered losses.”
On the possibility of finding bodies after the flood recedes, the Chief Minister said the deceased will be identified and handed over to their families after post-mortem. Similarly, the veterinary department will take care of the carcasses of animals. He asserted that focus would be on sanitation and health as soon as the situation goes back to normal.
Further, he sought cooperation from people to prevent the spread of any diseases or epidemics.
Pointing out that drones have been used efficiently, Naidu said more drones will be deployed over the next few days to assess and assist in relief operations. “Today, we used some 25-30 drones. We hope to use 30-40 drones more on Wednesday,” he added.
Choppers supply 55 tonnes of essentials to flood-hit people
Stating that he had received complaints about the drinking water supply, he said officials will be directed to focus on resolving the issues.
Further, he said the fire services department will be roped in to clean every house and vehicle. “After taking all precautions, power connectivity will be restored,” he assured.
Earlier in the day, Naidu continued to monitor the relief measures on day three of the floods. He toured every locality that was hit by the deluge. He hopped on an excavator and travelled 22 kms, covering the areas of Bhavanipuram, Singh Nagar, Vambay Colony, YSR Colony, Nunna, Kandrika and other areas. He instructed officials to adopt a humanitarian approach while serving the flood victims.
On the ground, there were contrasting scenes as people in a few areas thronged distribution centres to get food and water, while in other places several packets of food were found discarded. Several parents with infants and young kids desperately tried to get the attention of relief workers to get food for their children.
Elaborating on the flood relief measures, Minister for Information and Public Relations Kolusu Parthasarathy said a total of 7,20,000 food packets were distributed to the flood-hit people. To ensure drinking water supply, additional tankers and water bottles were supplied in tractors. “We have utilised the services of 40 drones to drop off food and medicines in the accessible areas. A total of 55 tonnes of food and essentials have been supplied with the help of choppers,” he explained.
MAUD Minister P Narayana said coordinated efforts minimised the loss of life. He said another 10 lakh food packets will be distributed on Tuesday night, and by Wednesday morning 500 tankers of drinking water from different districts will arrive in Vijayawada.
