2 september 2024 : Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy have urged the Centre to declare the torrential rain conditions in their states as a natural calamity as more than 30 people died so far, reported news agency ANI.
The intense downpour has led to the death of 17 people in Andhra Pradesh and 16 people in Telangana. Road links between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have faced major damage.
Homes, crops, roadways and more have been destroyed by the rain which has been pelting both states for the past three days.
During a press conference on Monday, Andhra Pradesh CM Naidu stated, “In my career, this is the biggest disaster…We had some events like Hudhud hurricane and Titli cyclone but compared to these, here the human suffering and property loss is the biggest.”
In an official press release, Telangana CM Reddy also noted that the financial losses due to the flooding were to the tune of ₹5,000 crore as per preliminary estimates.
Meanwhile, Jr NTR on Tuesday announced ₹50 lakh donation to the CM Relief Funds of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Announcing it on social media X, NTR wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the recent floods in two Telugu states. I pray to God that Telugu people recover from this calamity soon.”
“On my part, I am announcing a donation of Rs. 50 lakh each to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments to help the measures taken by the Governments of the two Telugu States for relief from the flood disaster,” he added.
The IMD had warned that a depression over the Vidarbha region has caused the intense rain in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, presenting a flash-flood risk as well. The weather department has predicted that the rain will reduce today and become more moderate in both states.
The Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, has witnessed its highest flood water level and recorded a discharge of 11.43 lakh cusecs, with its maximum capacity being 11.9 lakh cusecs of floodwater. Areas surrounding the barrage have been submerged in flood water.
The rising water levels of the Munneru river in Telangana have led to severe inundation in the Khammam district. District collector Muzammil Khan described the floods as “unprecedented” and said, “We are experiencing severe floods in our district unlike in the past 30 years because of the 200mm rains.”
110 relief camps have been organized and more than 4000 people have been shifted to these camps safely in Telangana. CM Naidu in Andhra Pradesh has stated that 32 senior IAS officers and 179 officials had been assigned to oversee relief operations in flood-affected areas, the state was still not able to provide food to people stranded in certain regions.
Both states have requested prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah to provide assistance in relief operations.
