Officials have cancelled leave of all employees in the Konaseema, Eluru and West Godavari districts, and directed the staff drafted for emergency duties in the flood-prone areas to report immediately.
Instructions have been given to the officers to set up relief centres and take measures to prevent human loss as the flood level is rising.
The Collectors in the flood-affected districts are monitoring the situation, and have directed the staff in the Irrigation, Medical and Health, Fire, Police, Revenue, Rural Water Supply, AP-Transco, APSRTC, and Fisheries departments, and the staff in the village and ward secretariats to be alert.
Konaseema district Collector Himanshu Shukla has said that volunteers have been asked to monitor the flood situation along the 370-km flood bank in 20 mandals in the district.
They will identify the places where the river and canal bunds are weak, and the irrigation officials will strengthen the bunds with sand bags. The entire administration has been put on flood duty, he says.
Boats kept ready
“More than 50 island villages in 20 mandals are flood-prone in the district. As many as 250 boats are kept ready with necessary equipment at Inavilli, P. Gannavaram, Katrenikona, I. Polavaram, Mamidikuduru and other mandals. Expert swimmers have been readied in the villages,” Mr. Shukla told The Hindu on July 20 (Thursday).
Health Department staff shifting a pregnant woman from a hamlet in Velerupadu mandal to the Jangareddygudem Area Government Hospital on Thursday.
“We have opened 85 relief camps. The village and ward secretariat staff and volunteers will shift pregnant women, patients and aged persons to the relief camps. Instructions have been given to maintain stocks of essential commodities such as milk, drinking water, medicines and other material at the camps,” the Collector said.
Eluru district Collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh directed the District Medical and Health Officer, the District Transport Commissioner and other officers to provide medicines, transportation and other facilities at the relief camps.
He directed the Revenue Divisional Officers, Mandal Revenue Officers and all the district officers of various departments to monitor the situation round the clock, spray bleaching powder and maintain stocks of anti-venom in the medical camps.
Mr. Prasanna Venkatesh said a control room with No. 18002331077 was been set up at the Collectorate (Eluru) to take stock of the situation.
Similarly, a control Room was arranged at Jangareddygudem (9553220254), Kukunur MRO Office (7013128597 and 9848590546), and Velerupadu MRO Office (6309254781), he said.
Stock of medicines, groceries
“Instructions have been given to keep stocks of medicines for 21 days and rice and groceries for three months in the flood-affected mandals. About three lakh water packets will be arranged at Velerupadu, and two lakh water packets will be transported to Kukunur. Besides, cooking oil, vegetables, biscuits and other material will be supplied in the habitations,” the Collector said.
Joint Collector B. Lavanya Veni, Assistant Collector Apoorva Bharat and Jangareddygudem RDO Jhanshi Rani visited Sivakasipuram of Velerupadu mandal, and reviewed the flood situation.
As Yeddu Vaagu was in spate, road link to Koida and Katukuru hamlets was cut off, and officers were asked to shift patients and pregnant women to the Jangareddygudem Area Government Hospital, Ms. Lavanya said.
K.R. Puran ITDA Project Officer Satyanarayana and others explained that villagers stranded at Repakagommu village were being shifted to Dacharam and Nemalpeta R&R Colony.
