Godavari floods: Victims cry for restoration works

KAKINADA: The Godavari flood-hit areas continue to be in a hopeless state on Thursday. People were seen going back to their villages from relief camps, after flood waters receded in some areas.

These villages were full of slush and mud and all the inhabitants’ belongings were lying scattered all over. Reconstructing their lives post-floods is a herculean task for the villagers.

Some cots and benches were seen atop electrical poles, after the floods receded from residential areas. The people were not able to walk or ride their bikes through the affected areas due to the slush. They were going to their villages by tractors.

Some of the residents cried aloud after seeing the situation.

The floodwaters were flowing through many villages and the first warning has not been withdrawn yet.

The flood waters were at higher levels at Kunavaram than Bhadrachalam. Irrigation officials discharged 12,34,866 cusecs of water by 9 pm at a gauge level of 14.10 feet and a second warning was still in force.

Some of the rehabilitation centres faced power failure and there were no arrangements for generators. Children and old people faced hardships due to darkness and there was the mosquito menace too.

Power supply has been restored in many villages in Alluri Seetharama Raju, Eluru districts. While there was severe damage to power supply systems in Kukunuru and Velerupadu mandals due to the Godavari floods, restoration works were undertaken on a war footing on Thursday.

Superintendent Engineer of APEPDCL Symababu said conductors have changed the transformers and provided power supply to many residential areas. The bent power poles will be re-erected from Friday.

Power Supply systems were damaged in 81 residential areas in Kukunuru mandal and 57 such areas in Velerupadu mandal. A total of 148 residential areas were damaged, out of which electricity has been restored in 106 areas. Electricity authorities have restored power in Chinturu and surrounding areas, where the floodwaters receded.

The Eluru Municipal Corporation has participated in special sanitation works, fogging and other activities in Kukunuru and Velerupadu mandals in the district.

Visakhapatnam municipal commissioner Lakshmisha sent sanitation workers from Gajuwaka Municipality and Visakha Municipal Corporation to Chinturu agency area. The ASR District collector Sumit advised the medical and health officials to pay attention to providing medical treatment to the victims and take up steps against outbreak of epidemics.

He said 110 medical teams have been deployed to the district for medical treatment, if necessary, and medicines have been provided to them.

The Fire department has started ejecting the waters from some villages.

Konaseema collector Himanshu said special relief by way of supply of essential commodities has been reached to all the flood-victims in the district. A sum of Rs 6.04 crore has been disbursed to 31,110 families and 17 lakh drinking water packets have been distributed. Sanitation works have been started and after the receding of the waters, the restoration works would be taken up.