Torrential rains in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh kill 31 people, damage roads and railway tracks
Thirty-one people were killed and hundreds of acres of agricultural crops were drowned by a torrential rain that devastated roads and rail lines in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, leaving residents scrambling to meet their daily requirements while rescue authorities were forced to focus on reconstruction operations.
Two Indian Air Force C-130 aircraft were sent from Agartala with relief supplies for the afflicted districts in the two Telugu-speaking states, according to defense sources on Tuesday, September 3. Despite the fact that 19 NDRF and 20 SDRF personnel were already involved in relief and rescue efforts, four Mi-17 and four Chetak helicopters each were also sent.
On Monday, September 2, both states were suffering from the effects of the rains, with Telangana suffering the most losses (16 people dead) and neighboring Andhra Pradesh suffering 15 more. At least 4.5 lakh people in Andhra were impacted, while in Vijayawada, which was most hit, heartbreaking images of people battling to get necessities like milk were seen.
The most impacted districts, according to an official press release, were NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla, and Prakasam. Vijayawada’s life was entirely out of control as a result of the city’s more than 24-hour power outages and the three days of intense rainfall.
At Vijaywada airport, an air force Mi-17 carrying supplies for relief—including food, drink, and medication—was seen. Along with 120 NDRF men, another Il-76 carrier made a second landing at the city’s airfield.
SOURCE & CREDIT: ANI
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: The NDRF team, along with Central forces and district officials provided food, drinking water, and other essential items to the flood-affected areas in Vijayawada through helicopters.
(Source: I&PR) pic.twitter.com/DDsD6Q0hjB
— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2024
Andhra Pradesh is worst hit by the heavy rains.
A lady bemoaned to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in pictures shown on local television news networks that inhabitants in Ajit Singh Nagar, Vijayawada, had been left without drinking water for two days. While another guy stood in waist-deep water and pleaded with Naidu, who was visiting the flood-affected districts for the third time, to understand their situation, she lamented that no boat came to their rescue.
While an elderly lady resting on a mattress was being carried across floods by two people, others were spotted wading through floodwaters carrying their children on their shoulders to safety. Some attempted to use ropes to assist themselves through the flood.
SOURCE & CREDIT: ANI
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: The water level at Prakasam barrage in Vijayawada increases due to incessant rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/dd2jAVk8vt
— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2024
A long line had developed to pick up food packs and milk sachets at one of the flood-affected locations as individuals waded through the floods holding onto some basic essentials in their hands. In one such location, a flood victim said the government was not helping them and that they hadn’t had milk since September 1.
Long traffic jams interfered with daily living, disrupting cell phone and internet access. Hyderabad’s connectivity was impacted. There was a chaotic transportation system in and around the city of Vijayawada. By eight in the morning on Monday, 11.3 lakh cusecs of floods had been released at Prakasam Barrage.
Telangana requests Rs 2,000 crore in urgent national assistance.
Citing early estimates, the Telangana government estimated the damage caused by the torrential rains on Monday at Rs 5,000 crore. It requested Rs 2,000 crore in urgent federal aid.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was urged by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to visit the affected districts and declare the floods a national emergency. He also said that the families of those slain in rain-related situations will get an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh apiece.
While visiting districts affected by rain, the chief minister met with officials and ministers in Suryapet. Full information on the deaths and injuries would be known after reports on damage are received, according to state minister of industries and IT D Sridhar Babu.
The state government will provide a thorough assessment on the flood damage to the Center, according to a news statement. Preliminary estimates from officials told the chief minister that damage was sustained to crops on more over 1.5 lakh acres.
The regions of Khammam affected by flooding displayed a sight of great destruction, with household objects being swept away by the water and some of them adhering to home gates. When state revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao visited residents in flood-affected districts, they told them about their plight.
A representative of the South Central Railway (SCR), which has its headquarters in Secunderabad, said that 432 trains were completely canceled and 13 trains were partly canceled as a result of the severe rains and waterlogging over the rails at various sites on the SCR network. He claimed that while repair work was being done, 139 trains were diverted till Monday afternoon.
Five trains were left stranded and floods and breaches were recorded on the Kazipet-Vijayawada segment as a result of the two states’ constant rainfall. On September 1, state-run RTC buses transported almost 7,500 people from these trains to the closest railway stations. From there, special trains were scheduled to transport them to their final destinations.
Water was gushing across the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway near Kodada, leaving a significant number of trucks stuck. The authorities recommended using the Narkatpalli-Addanki route as a substitute for people going to Vijayawada.
