VIJAYAWADA: Squarely blaming the state Government for the floods in Vijayawada city, former chief minister and YSRC chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the state government ignored the extreme rain alerts issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), creating man-made floods in Vijayawada.
On Monday, Jagan visited Ajith Singhnagar and other flood-hit areas in Vijayawada, interacted with the victims and enquired about the flood relief measures.
Speaking on the occasion, Jagan said: “The weather department issued an extreme rainfall alert on August 28 for Krishna, NTR, and Guntur districts, along with Khammam, Nalgonda, and the Krishna river catchment areas in Telangana. However, instead of reviewing the situation with the irrigation, revenue, and home departments on measures to tackle the rains and flood situation, the government ignored the forecast issued by the weather department.”
“The lack of maintaining a flood cushion and letting all the water from the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar dams downstream, along with the rains in NTR, Krishna, and Guntur districts and the Krishna river catchment areas, worsened the flood situation today at Prakasam Barrage and flooded Vijayawada,” Jagan said.
Pointing out government apathy towards flood victims in extending help, Jagan alleged, “Many people stuck in the floods have not been evacuated and were forced to starve without food and water for the last two days by the government.”
Earlier in the day, while returning from Gannavaram airport to his Tadepalli residence, Jagan stopped his convoy at Kanaka Durga Varadhi and inspected the floodwater flow in the Krishna River. Several residents from Krishna Lanka and Ranigarithota areas expressed their gratitude to Jagan for constructing and completing phases II and III of the retaining wall alongside the Krishna river downstream of Prakasam Barrage, which saved their houses and lives even during extreme flood events.
