Until the Chief Minister’s visit this evening, no authority or official came to their rescue, say residents of Prakash Nagar, Rajarajeswari Peta, Jakkampudi, Rajeev Nagar, and HUDA colony, among others, which were submerged after the Budameru rivulet breached on Saturday night.
The 300 mm rain that lashed the city from Friday morning to Saturday evening overflowed many streams. CPI(M) leader Ch. Babu Rao said the water level at the Velagaleru regulator, which receives water from the Budameru rivulet, had reached 15 m by Saturday night.
This is a view of the inundated Singh Nagar area in Vijayawada on Sunday after floodwater hit the colony due to the breach of the Budameru canal. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
“Around 30,000 cusecs were let out at night. At the same time, if they had alerted the public living in the catchment areas, they would have made preparations,” he said, adding that the officials too were caught off guard. He said 30,000 families are affected in these areas, majority of them being daily wagers.
“Until 7.30 a.m. on Sunday, the roads were all clean. The accumulated stormwater, too, had receded to some extent. But then, the water level started increasing gradually. Before anyone could realise what was happening, the roads were in knee-deep water in just an hour,” said Narasimha Rao from LIC Colony, who has shifted to the first floor after water entered his house.
The residents said the water level kept increasing by the hour, and by afternoon, all four-wheelers and houses on the ground floor were submerged. “Many in the colony have climbed to the terrace. Thankfully, it has not rained today. We do not know where many of us will go if it starts raining again,” Mr. Narasimha Rao said, adding that every one of them has incurred huge losses since the furniture, four-wheelers, and electronics must have got damaged by now.
People wading through knee-deep water with their children in Singh Nagar in Vijayawada on Sunday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
“That, however, is secondary. We have not eaten anything since morning and do not know whether or when we can step out to get the essentials. Most of us are running out of milk, medicines and water. If only we had been alerted before, we could have stocked them up,” said Taxpayers’ Association secretary M.V. Anjaneyulu, a resident of Rajeev Nagar. He said no National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team came to supply essentials to them till evening.
A woman seen struggling to take her pet dogs to safety as the roads submerged in Singh Nagar in Vijayawada after floodwater hit the colony due to the breach of the Budameru canal. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Pointing out that their mobile phones were also about to be discharged, the anxious residents hoped that help would be sent to them immediately.
People wading through shoulder-high water with their children, elders and belongings in Singh Nagar in Vijayawad on Sunday after floodwater hit the colony due to the breach of the Budameru canal. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
Mr. Babu Rao said that though medicines and food packets were available, reaching out to the residents had become a problem since there were not many boats available. There was no one to take patients needing immediate help to hospitals, he said, adding that it was the first time in 20 years that severe floods affected the area.
Officials were unavailable for response.
