Minister for Animal Husbandry, Marketing and Fisheries Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao has said that the State government has been taking all possible measures to reach out to people affected by the recent floods.
“These are unprecedented floods in River Krishna, after a gap of nearly 10 years. The massive discharge of flood waters downstream of Prakasam Barrage at 8 lakh cusecs presented a challenge in meeting the basic needs of providing drinking water, food and healthcare to the hundreds of flood victims. The district administration has scaled up relief measures in 55 villages in 14 mandals by setting up 16 relief camps into which 4,000 people have been moved as a precautionary measure,” Mr. Ramana Rao told reporters here on Monday evening.
Stating that the district administration had left no stone unturned in providing relief, the minister said that 5,600 milk packets and 15,000 food packets had been distributed through Akshaya Patra Foundation.
“As the flood is receding, the focus will be now on ensuring that there is no outbreak of viral infection due to contaminated water or food. Medical teams are touring all flood-affected villages on a regular basis and are visiting every house in village,” the Minister said.
Refuting allegations being levelled by Opposition leaders that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had not even conducted a review on floods, he said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy had been monitoring the floods on an hourly basis.
Apart from providing drinking water and food, health workers had been deployed to sanitise the flood-hit areas. Medical camps had been set up in all the 55 villages and a team of 20 doctors deputed to handle any emergencies. Drinking water was being supplied through water tankers to prevent spread of any viral or bacterial infections, he said.
The district administration had enumerated that crop in 30,000 acres had been affected, including vast swathes of horticultural crops.
Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar was also present.
