AMN /
At least six people have died due to heavy rains lashing the state of Andhra Pradesh for the past three days. Heavy rains due to the well marked low pressure over West Central Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of the coast crippled life across Andhra Pradesh on Thursday especially in the coastal districts, Guntur being the major victim.
The Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) in Visakhapatnam has said that the South West monsoon has been active in Rayalaseema and vigorous in Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
In Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool and West Godavari districts streams were overflowing causing disruption to vehicular movement at several places. NDRF teams have swung into action as people at several places were trapped either in their vehicles or on the roof tops of their houses in low lying areas due to flash floods.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu who reviewed the rain and flood situation in the State from the Command Control Centre in Vijayawada with all the district officials concerned instructed them to take up appropriate action to mitigate loss of life and to property. He also asked them to gear up to restore power lines that were damaged due to floods. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 4 lakhs each to the kin of the families of the 6 deceased people in the rain related incidents.
The Chief Minister had asked the revenue and water resources departments to keep a strict vigil on the streams, rivulets and canals in the affected districts and ensure that there are no breaches anymore and to avert damage to the standing crops in the catchment area. Mr. Naidu appealed to the non-governmental organisations to join the relief operations, if required. He said, people look forward to the government in crisis like floods and stressed that officials should act with commitment and serve the people.
Meanwhile, the Pulichintala reservoir received 2.65 cusecs of water yesterday, while the officials have discharged an equal amount of water maintaining 29.1 tmc-ft in the reservoir. In the downstream at Prakasam barrage across River Krishna, the officials have discharged 7,250 cusecs of water into the sea through 10 gates while another 9,857 cusecs of water was released to the delta canals.