Floods ravage more parts of Vijayawada

VIJAYAWADA: The floods in Vijayawada, caused by the Budameru Canal and Krishna River, have reached unprecedented levels, affecting Ajith Singhnagar, New Rajarajeshwaripet, Nunna, Payakapuram, and now Ramalingeswaranagar and Bhavani Puram. On Monday, these areas were submerged, displacing thousands of residents.

At dawn on Monday, floodwaters from the Krishna River breached retaining walls and inundated homes in Ramalingeswaranagar. The water, rising to six feet, flooded the Police Colony and surrounding roads.

Teams from the NDRF and SDRF, equipped with boats, conducted evacuations in Ramalingeswaranagar, relocating flood victims to relief centers. As the Krishna River's water level continued to rise, it affected downstream areas like Penamaluru, Pamarru, and Avanigadda.

By Monday afternoon, increasing inflows into the Prakasam Barrage caused backwater to overflow into Bhavani Puram, submerging more homes. The situation worsened as the barrage’s inflows increased, impacting additional areas.

The Budameru stream, which had caused severe flooding since Sunday, saw some improvement by Monday evening, though life remained disrupted due to lack of food, electricity, and other essentials.

Additional NDRF and SDRF personnel were deployed to manage relief operations and provide essentials. Helicopters from NDRF dropped food packets and supplies to affected areas in Vijayawada. Power boats were also used to evacuate residents who had been stranded and couldn't be reached on Sunday.

However, reports surfaced of boat operators demanding between `1,500 and `4,000 from residents for evacuation, sparking outrage on social media. There were also complaints about unresponsive emergency numbers. Residents reported difficulties in reaching the toll-free numbers 112 and 107 for assistance. Madhavi (name changed), a Vijayawada native now living in Hyderabad, expressed frustration over the lack of response when trying to get help for her flood-stricken parents in Ajith Singhnagar.