VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to visit flood-hit areas of coastal districts and interact with people next week, most likely on July 26, for two days. Various crops in 11,990.48 hectares were damaged in the incessant rains in six districts namely ASR, Konaseema, Kakinada, Eluru and two Godavari districts in the state in which horticulture crops were damaged in 8627.71 hectares and agriculture crops in the rest of the area. A total of 3,60,468 people were affected in the six districts.
The Chief Minister has been monitoring the flood-affected districts and giving instructions to the officials to provide relief measures to the affected people. Leaders of various Opposition parties including Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu visited the flood-affected areas and criticised Jagan Mohan Reddy for not visiting the affected areas.
Advisor to the government (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and several YSRC ministers stated that Chief Minister’s visit would disturb the relief, rescue and rehabilitation works hence Jagan would visit after completion of the tasks.
They stated that the Chief Minister reviewed the preparedness of the flood situation with the revenue department, line departments concerned and district collectors on July 13 and further undertook an aerial survey of flood-affected districts on July 15, followed by a review meeting with the revenue department, line departments concerned and collectors of the flood-affected districts.
As many as 347 villages were inundated out of the 465 villages in 54 mandals of six flood-affected districts. The highest number of population affected during the floods was in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema with 1,96,072, while the least affected was Kakinada with 1,243 victims.
About 70,000 people were affected in 228 villages in seven mandals in Alluri Sitharama Raju district while 163 villages were inundated. As many as 60,000 people were affected in 93 villages in seven mandals in Eluru district while 76 villages were inundated. In West Godavari district, more than 27,000 people were affected in eight mandals. In East Godavari district, about 6,000 people were affected in 13 mandals. The least affected district was Kakinada with 1,243 people affected by floods in two villages of one mandal.
Ten NDRF teams with 217 personnel were deployed for search and rescue operations in six villages besides 11 SDRF teams with 417 personnel in 10 villages. The NDRF teams rescued 182 people and evacuated 3,000 while the SDRF evacuated 6,246 in six affected districts.
AP disaster response & fire services department (APDR&FS) undertook search and rescue operations and relief measures in the flood affected districts. About 1,017 people were rescued from flood-affected areas and 10,531 people evacuated from inundated villages. The APDR&FS also distributed food and essential commodities like rice, dal, oil, onion etc., in the flood-affected areas.
About 8,627 hectares of horticulture crop was damaged while 3,362 hectares agriculture crop was damaged in the flood affecting six districts. The highest 6,405 hectares of horticulture crop was damaged in Ambedkar Konaseema district followed by 1,950 hectares in East Godavari and 260 hectares in West Godavari districts. In Alluri Sitharama Raju district, 1,502 agricultural crops were damaged, followed by 1,145 hectares in East Godavari, 217 hectares in Ambedkar Konaseema, 276 hectares in Eluru and 222 hectares in West Godavari districts during the floods.
