Massive floods triggered by incessant rains for nearly a week left at least 45 persons dead in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha till Saturday and forcing authorities to evacuate over two lakh people from the submerged villages in the two states.
Roads are flooded as heavy rains continue to lash Srikakulam and Nalgonda districts in Andhra Pradesh. (PTI photo)
While 29 deaths have been reported from Andhra Pradesh, the death toll in Odisha rose to 16 today.
Official sources said that all the major rivers and their tributaries – swollen by the torrential rains – have overtopped their banks and flood-waters gushed into homes and agricultural fields.
The floods followed just days after the two states were battered by Cyclone Phailin, which had left a trail of death and devastation in its trail.
Over 72,000 evacuated in Andhra
The met department in Andhra Pradesh warned of more downpour in the next 48 hours.
According to an official note, more than 72,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in nine districts. Also, crops spread over 5.64 lakh hectares and 6,597 houses had been damaged.
The government has set up 178 relief camps in nine districts, including 36 in Srikakulam.
Hundreds of villages across Andhra Pradesh remained submerged, while road and rail routes were affected as the rain fury continued on Saturday.
Rain-related incidents like drowning and wall collapse have claimed 29 lives so far. Prakasam district accounted for the maximum deaths at six, followed by Guntur (5), Mahabubnagar (4), Hyderabad, Kurnool (three each), Vizianagaram, East Godavari, Nalgonda and Warangal (2 each), the statement said.
Besides, two persons have been reported missing in Visakhapatnam district.
As many as 3,230 villages in 16 districts were badly affected due to torrential rains and 6,600 houses damaged, disaster management commissioner T Radha said.
Vast stretches of Vijayawada-Hyderabad Highway were submerged in floodwaters, leading to traffic diversion.
Railway tracks at Bommayipalli on the Secunderabad-Guntur section was damaged and repairs were being carried out. All important trains on this route are being diverted via Warangal and Vijayawada, official sources said.
The East Coast Railway cancelled Bhubaneswar-Bengaluru Prasanthi Express and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Express trains due to heavy rains. The Puri-Tirupati Express and Coromandel Express also stands cancelled, they said.
A dozen teams of National Disaster Response Force are carrying out relief operations in Srikakulam, Guntur, West Godavari, Nalgonda, Prakasam and Mahbubnagar, they added.
Vehicular traffic has been thrown out of gear as 900 km road stretch has been submerged.
Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today asked district collectors to distribute ex-gratia to the kin of those killed in rain-related incidents and also step up relief operations by supplying essential commodities.
The CM spoke to revenue minister Raghuveera Reddy, who was touring rain-ravaged areas in Bapatla, Guntur district, over phone.
Over 5.32 lakh affected in Odisha
In Odisha too, the situation remained grim even as major rivers were receding today.
Two deaths each were reported from Bhadrak, Jajpur and Nayagarh districts while in worst-hit Ganjam district it remained unchanged at six and four in Jagatsinghpur, special relief commissioner PK Mohapatra told reporters here after the situation was reviewed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
“All the deaths were due to wall collapse and drowning,” Mohapatra said.
Major rivers like Rusikulya, Godahada and Vansadhara were flowing below the danger mark, he said.
The chief minister said that the incessant rains and floods have caused severe damage to public and private property and standing crop.
He also announced three-day relief for the affected people as per provisions under the relief code.
It would be distributed in Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts, SRC office sources said.
Over 5.32 lakh people in 2,276 villages have been affected by the current wave of floods, while about 1.47 lakh people were evacuated.
Of the 129 villages inundated in Ganjam district by flash flood on Friday, water receded in its 69 villages.
An IMD bulletin said that heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over the next 48 hours at one or two places over Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati and Kalahandi districts and heavy rainfall at one or two places over north Odisha.
Railway sources said that the Konark Express from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai would resume from the day as water has receded from the tracks.
Roads are flooded as heavy rains continue to lash Srikakulam and Nalgonda districts in Andhra Pradesh. (PTI photo)
While 29 deaths have been reported from Andhra Pradesh, the death toll in Odisha rose to 16 today.
Official sources said that all the major rivers and their tributaries – swollen by the torrential rains – have overtopped their banks and flood-waters gushed into homes and agricultural fields.
The floods followed just days after the two states were battered by Cyclone Phailin, which had left a trail of death and devastation in its trail.
Over 72,000 evacuated in Andhra
The met department in Andhra Pradesh warned of more downpour in the next 48 hours.
According to an official note, more than 72,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in nine districts. Also, crops spread over 5.64 lakh hectares and 6,597 houses had been damaged.
The government has set up 178 relief camps in nine districts, including 36 in Srikakulam.
Hundreds of villages across Andhra Pradesh remained submerged, while road and rail routes were affected as the rain fury continued on Saturday.
Rain-related incidents like drowning and wall collapse have claimed 29 lives so far. Prakasam district accounted for the maximum deaths at six, followed by Guntur (5), Mahabubnagar (4), Hyderabad, Kurnool (three each), Vizianagaram, East Godavari, Nalgonda and Warangal (2 each), the statement said.
Besides, two persons have been reported missing in Visakhapatnam district.
As many as 3,230 villages in 16 districts were badly affected due to torrential rains and 6,600 houses damaged, disaster management commissioner T Radha said.
Vast stretches of Vijayawada-Hyderabad Highway were submerged in floodwaters, leading to traffic diversion.
Railway tracks at Bommayipalli on the Secunderabad-Guntur section was damaged and repairs were being carried out. All important trains on this route are being diverted via Warangal and Vijayawada, official sources said.
The East Coast Railway cancelled Bhubaneswar-Bengaluru Prasanthi Express and Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Express trains due to heavy rains. The Puri-Tirupati Express and Coromandel Express also stands cancelled, they said.
A dozen teams of National Disaster Response Force are carrying out relief operations in Srikakulam, Guntur, West Godavari, Nalgonda, Prakasam and Mahbubnagar, they added.
Vehicular traffic has been thrown out of gear as 900 km road stretch has been submerged.
Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy today asked district collectors to distribute ex-gratia to the kin of those killed in rain-related incidents and also step up relief operations by supplying essential commodities.
The CM spoke to revenue minister Raghuveera Reddy, who was touring rain-ravaged areas in Bapatla, Guntur district, over phone.
Over 5.32 lakh affected in Odisha
In Odisha too, the situation remained grim even as major rivers were receding today.
Two deaths each were reported from Bhadrak, Jajpur and Nayagarh districts while in worst-hit Ganjam district it remained unchanged at six and four in Jagatsinghpur, special relief commissioner PK Mohapatra told reporters here after the situation was reviewed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
“All the deaths were due to wall collapse and drowning,” Mohapatra said.
Major rivers like Rusikulya, Godahada and Vansadhara were flowing below the danger mark, he said.
The chief minister said that the incessant rains and floods have caused severe damage to public and private property and standing crop.
He also announced three-day relief for the affected people as per provisions under the relief code.
It would be distributed in Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts, SRC office sources said.
Over 5.32 lakh people in 2,276 villages have been affected by the current wave of floods, while about 1.47 lakh people were evacuated.
Of the 129 villages inundated in Ganjam district by flash flood on Friday, water receded in its 69 villages.
An IMD bulletin said that heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over the next 48 hours at one or two places over Koraput, Malkangiri, Nawarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati and Kalahandi districts and heavy rainfall at one or two places over north Odisha.
Railway sources said that the Konark Express from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai would resume from the day as water has receded from the tracks.
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