Describing the rains and floods situation in Andhra Pradesh as an unprecedented calamity Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured `full support’ from the Centre to provide relief to people. 

The financial support from the Centre will be decided after the assessment of the damage along with a long term action plan to prevent recurrence of such major floods in future, he said while addressing newspersons along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu after visiting the flood-affected regions in Vijayawada on Thursday. 

A central team headed by Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Additional Secretary (Agriculture) to Government of India along with other Central Team Members are in the State to assess the damage on account of floods.

Over 40 cm continuous rainfall for two days in a row, increase in inflows to the Prakasam Barrage and breaches to the Budameru river resulted in unprecedented floods in Vijayawada and surrounding regions, the Union Minister said.

The army personnel will also join the relief operations from tonight along with NDRF teams which have been already sent by the Centre along with Air Force and Naval personnel. 

“I am here on the directions of the Prime Minister and will work together with the State Government in providing relief,” the Minister said. 

The benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and other initiatives will also be hastened to provide relief to the farmers, he added. 

Chief Minister Naidu said even though tenders were called for repair of three breaches of the Budameru river by his government in 2019, the YSRCP government cancelled the tenders and stopped the repair works which resulted in the calamity. 

RELIEF

 The Krishna river flood situation in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh is gradually easing even as there is concern about rising water levels in Godavari in Dhavaleswaram on Thursday. 

According to a status report released in Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority on Thursday evening, the number of deaths in the floods has gone up to 33. Over 6.44 lakh people were affected so far due to the floods and 45,369 were provided shelter in 214 relief camps. 

There has been no complete relief from rains too. As per the forecast for September 6, light to moderate rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Eluru and Palnadu districts. 

Very light to light rain is likely to occur at isolated places in, Anakapalli, Kakinada, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Kurnool, Nandyal, Ananthapuram, Annamayya, Chittoor and Tirupathi districts, the report said. 

SUPPLIES 

AP State Civil Supplies and Marketing Departments will begin distribution of various essential commodities to all the flood victims in Vijayawada on a large scale from Friday morning.

The officials will distribute 25 kg of rice,1 kg dal,1 litre of cooking oil,1 kg of sugar, 2 kg of onions,2 kg of potatos in two bags to the flood victims in 179 ward and 3 village secretariats of Vijayawada from tomorrow morning, according to Nadendla Manohar, Minister for Civil Supplies.

About 2 lakh victims have already been identified and essential commodities will be provided to every flood-affected family. Those who do not have ration cards will be distributed through registration of Aadhaar card, the Minister said. 

Free gas service centres will be set up in 12 areas in Vijayawada with the support of BPCL, HPCL and IOC companies, he added. 

INSURANCE

In the meanwhile, the Department of Financial Services directed the public sector insurance companies to extend and provide full support to the people affected by floods. 

The insurance companies have been instructed to ensure swift claim settlements by organising special camps and easing claim processes, and thereby provide relief to those affected, and widely advertise the names and contact numbers of nodal officers whom the policyholders can contact.