Budameru floods turn lives upside down overnight

Vijayawada: Budameru stream, known as the “Sorrow of Vijayawada”, overflowed and submerged nearly half of Vijayawada, majorly impacting Ajith Singh Nagar, New and Old RR Pet, and Nandamuri Nagar.

These areas are largely inhabited by daily wage labourers, construction workers and those working in the informal sector. Budameru turned the lives of these people upside down overnight. It has left many unemployed for days.

People who run standalone salons, tailoring shops and small stationery stores lamented about their losses, as Budameru either washed away their goods or rendered them unusable.

Venkatesh, a resident of Ajith Singh Nagar, says that he owns a salon at Daba Kotlu Centre. He says all his equipment has got damaged in floodwaters, resulting in a loss of Rs 60,000. Based on the current condition of his shop, Venkatesh estimates that he will need to spend at least another Rs 50,000 to restart his shop.

Narasimha Rao, another resident of Ajith Singh Nagar, underlined that he had four sewing machines worth Rs 1.20 lakh at his tailoring shop, which are now damaged. Among the machines had been a new one that he purchased recently for ₹60,000.

“Had the authorities warned us beforehand about the floods, I would have moved all my equipment to a safer place. But now, I face an uncertain future,” Narasimha Rao said with a grim look.

Sai, an auto driver, resides in Kandrika. He earns a living by transporting school students to different schools in the city. However, his auto, including its engine, had remained submerged in water for several days.

“It will cost me thousands to repair it,” Sai lamented.