Andhra, Telangana reel under rain fury; 31 killed, lakhs affected

Sept. 2, 2024, 3:50 p.m.

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Heavy rainfall in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh resulted in the deaths of 31 people, damaged roads and railway lines, disrupting transportation, submerged vast agricultural land, and left many struggling to meet their basic needs. Rescue teams were deployed to assist in rescue and relief efforts.

The two Telugu-speaking states were grappling with the aftermath of the rains on Monday. Telangana reported 16 deaths, while neighboring Andhra Pradesh, which bore the brunt of the rain's fury, recorded 15 fatalities.

Advertisement Floodwaters have eroded a portion of the gravel beneath the railway track near Kesamudram in Telangana.

In Andhra Pradesh, nearly 4.5 lakh people have been affected by the downpour. Heartbreaking scenes of residents struggling to obtain basic necessities, including milk, were seen in Vijayawada, the hardest-hit city. The most impacted districts include NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla, and Prakasam, according to an official press release.

Twenty SDRF and 19 NDRF teams are actively involved in rescue and relief efforts.

The heavy rainfall over the past three days in Vijayawada has severely disrupted daily life, with many areas experiencing more than 24 hours of power outages.

Footage broadcasted on local news channels showed a woman voicing her frustration to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu about residents being stranded in Ajit Singh Nagar, Vijayawada, for two days without access to clean water. She expressed her disappointment that no rescue boats had reached them, while another man, standing knee-deep in floodwaters, pleaded with Naidu, who was inspecting the flood-affected areas for the third time on a boat, to comprehend their difficult situation.

Images showed people navigating through flooded streets, carrying children on their shoulders for safety. An elderly woman lying on a mattress was being moved through floodwaters by two individuals. Some residents used a rope to aid their movement through the deluge.

As people navigated through the floodwaters, some carried essential items. A long queue formed at one of the flood-affected locations for milk sachets and food packets.

One flood victim reported that they had no milk since Sunday morning and claimed that they had not received any help from the government.

Internet and mobile phone services were interrupted, and lengthy traffic jams caused significant disruptions to daily life. Connectivity to Hyderabad was affected. Transportation within Vijayawada city and surrounding areas was chaotic.

At Prakasam Barrage, 11.3 lakh cusecs of floodwaters were released by 8 am on Monday.

In Telangana, at least 16 people died in various rain-related events. The state government estimated the preliminary damages at Rs 5,000 crore on Monday and requested immediate Central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the impacted areas and declare the floods a national disaster. He also announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs five lakh each to the families of those who perished in rain-related incidents.

As part of his inspection of rain-affected regions, the CM convened a meeting with ministers and officials in Suryapet.

Advertisement State IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu stated that comprehensive information regarding casualties and other details would be available once damage reports are obtained. The government will submit a detailed report on the flood damage to the Central government, an official statement said.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that, according to initial estimates, crops across over 1.5 lakh acres were damaged. The flooded areas of Khammam displayed widespread destruction as household items were washed away, with some carried away by the water and lodged against the doors of houses.

Residents of flood-affected areas shared their struggles with state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao during their visit to the region.

A spokesperson from the Secunderabad-based South Central Railway (SCR) reported that due to heavy rains and flooding on tracks at various locations within the SCR network, 432 trains were canceled and 13 trains were partially canceled. He stated that 139 trains were diverted as of Monday afternoon.

Restoration works were underway, he said.

Due to persistent rainfall in the two states, the Kazipet-Vijayawada section experienced flooding and breaches, resulting in five trains becoming stranded.

On Sunday evening, over 7,500 passengers from these trains were transported to the nearest Railway stations using state-run RTC buses, and special trains were arranged to convey them to their final destinations.

A significant number of trucks were stuck on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway near Kodada as the roadway was flooded. Officials advised those traveling to Vijayawada to utilize the Narkatpalli-Addanki highway as an alternate route.