AP Govt's estimate of loss due to flood Rs 12,225 cr

The Andhra Government has put the preliminary estimate of the damages caused by the flood in Krishna river at Rs. 12,225 crore.

Also, Chief Minister K. Rosaiah has requested the Centre to consider the flood disaster as a national calamity of rare severity and release Rs. 6,000 crore to the State under the National Calamity Contingency Fund as advance for taking up relief, rehabilitation and restoration works on war footing.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, the Chief Minister said standing crop in more than one lakh acres had been affected while the State lost power generation capacity of 770 MW for the next three to four months following inundation of Srisailam Right Bank Power house.According to preliminary estimates, public infrastructure including roads, irrigation, power and communication suffered damages to the tune of Rs. 10,000 crore.

Agriculture and horticulture sectors suffered losses to the tune of Rs. 1,050 crore,animal husbandry (Rs. 275 crore), fisheries (Rs. 100 crore) and housing (Rs. 300 crore) while the State was likely to incur Rs. 500 crore expendture on account of rescue, relief including payment of ex-gratia and food supplies to affected families. Floodbanks of Sunkesula barrage suffered two breaches and about 574 tanks had been breached, he said.

Mr. Rosaiah explained that the Srisailam project which was designed to have an inflow of about 13.6 lakh cusecs received more than 25 lakh cusecs continuously for 12 hours, considered as probable maximum flood predicted once every 10,000 years. More than five lakh population in Kurnool was affected as the town was inundated with water reaching 20 ft height.

The Chief Minister also sent a status note to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi about the `precarious situation' posing serious threat to economy and human lives. Already more than three dozen people died while hundreds of water bodies were damaged due to flood waters, he said.