Vijayawada: Indian Navy’s relief and rescue operations in flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh continued on Friday under the aegis of Eastern Naval Command. Naval helicopters undertook extensive flying operations such as airdropping food packets, medical kits and water bottles to stranded individuals.
Flood Relief Teams (FRTs) are actively evacuating people to safety and distributing food to affected households. Over 180 personnel have been rescued by these flood relief teams.
Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in Andhra Pradesh, with roads and houses submerged. The continuous rain, triggered by a land-based cyclone, resulted in heavy precipitation over just 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This extreme weather was fuelled by moisture from the Arabian Sea and heat from the eastern parts of the country.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with central forces and local officials, is working to provide relief. The flooding, caused by a cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal, has led to rising water levels at the Prakasam Barrage and inundation in several regions.
Earlier, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan along with State Minister Nara Lokesh interacted with locals at Vijayawada to take stock of the situation. Soon afterwards, Union Minister Chouhan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a press conference and said that the situation in Vijayawada is unprecedented and there has been a lot of crop damage also in the area, with 2 lakh farmers affected.
“The situation in Vijayawada is unprecedented. The area received 400mm of rainfall in a short time, such a thing has never happened before. I thank CM Chandrababu Naidu along with his team is working 24/7. The Central government is providing all help to the state. The loss of human lives has been minimal. Teams of NDRF are working here. MPs MLAs, and ministers are engaged in work here,” he said.
“Food packets, milk and water are being dropped to stranded people using drones. Sanitation work is being done at war footing. Animal husbandry teams are also working continuously. Home Minister Amit Shah ji has sent a team here to study how water discharged can be increased from 70-year-old Prakasam Barrage. There has been a lot of crop damage also in the area, 2 lakh farmers affected. Work has started to assess the extent of damage,” Chouhan said.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who reviewed the situation at the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Authority, also added that protecting lives and property is a top priority.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan announced on Wednesday that drones are being used to provide food and water to flood-affected areas in the state. He also donated Rs 1 crore to the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF).
“Drones are being operated to supply food and water in flood-affected areas. Yesterday, I announced a donation of 1 crore rupees to the CM Relief Fund,” Kalyan said.