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

HYDERABAD: Torrential downpour in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh left 31 persons dead, battered roads and rail tracks snapping connectivity, submerged thousands of acres of agricultural crops and left people scampering for daily needs as rescue agencies were pressed into rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

The two Telugu speaking states were reeling under the impact of the rains on Monday, as 16 persons were killed in Telangana and 15 others in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which particularly bore the brunt of the rain fury.

A portion of gravel under the railway track near Kesamudram in Telangana was washed away due to floodwaters.

Nearly 4.5 lakh people were affected in Andhra, even as heart-wrenching scenes of people struggling to ensure essentials, including milk were witnessed in the worst affected Vijayawada. The most affected districts included NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam, said an official press release.

Twenty SDRF and 19 NDRF teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations.

Life was completely thrown out of gear in Vijayawada following torrential downpour over the past three days and with more than 24 hours of power cuts in several parts of the city.

Visuals aired on local TV news channels showed a woman lamenting to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that people were stranded for two days in Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada without drinking water. She complained no boat came to their rescue while another man standing in waist deep waters begged Naidu, who was touring the flood-affected areas for the third time on a boat, to understand their predicament.

People were seen wading through floodwaters carrying their children on shoulders to safety while an old woman lying on a mattress was seen being shifted over floodwaters by two persons. Some people tried to help themselves through the deluge using a rope.

As people waded through the floodwaters, a few of them held on to some basic necessities in their hands and a large queue was formed at one of the flood-affected places to collect milk sachets and food packets.

At one such place, a flood victim complained they did not have milk since Sunday morning and alleged no help came their way from the government.

Internet and mobile telephone connectivity were disrupted and long traffic snarls disrupted normal life. Connectivity to Hyderabad was affected. Transportation within Vijayawada city and its vicinity was chaotic.

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

In Telangana, at least 16 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents and the state government on Monday put the damage at Rs 5,000 crore citing preliminary estimates. It sought an immediate Central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas and declare the floods as a national calamity. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the kin of those who were killed in the rain-related incidents.

The CM held a meeting with ministers and officials at Suryapet as part of his visit to rain-hit areas.

State IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said full details on the loss of life and others would be known after reports on damage are received. The government will submit a comprehensive report on the flood damage to the Centre, an official release said.

Officials informed the CM that crops in over 1.5 lakh acres suffered damage as per preliminary estimates

The flood-hit areas of Khammam presented a scene of extensive damage as household items were washed away and some items carried away by water were stuck to the gates of houses.

Residents of flood-affected areas narrated their woes to state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who visited them.

An official of the Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway (SCR) said due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on the SCR network, as many as 432 trains were cancelled and 13 trains were partially cancelled. He said 139 trains were diverted till Monday afternoon.

Restoration works were underway, he said.

Due to incessant rains in the two states, flooding and breaches were reported in Kazipet-Vijayawada section and five trains were stranded.

Over 7,500 passengers from these trains were brought to the nearest Railway stations in state-run RTC buses on Sunday evening and special trains were arranged to take them to their respective destinations, he added.

A large number of lorries were stranded on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway near Kodada as water was flowing on the road. The officials urged those travelling to Vijayawada to use the Narkatpalli-Addanki highway as an alternative.