Andhra Pradesh braces for heavy rainfall; red alert issued in three districts
A red alert has been issued as heavy rainfall is expected to continue in several districts of Andhra Pradesh for the next two days.
Heavy rainfall is expected to continue in Andhra Pradesh, with a red alert issued for three districts and an orange alert for five districts over the next two days.
“Red alert has been issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall for Srikakulam, Manyam, and Vizianagaram districts for the next two days. An orange alert has been issued for Visakha, Alluri, Anakapalli, Kakinada, and Yanam for heavy rainfall,” meteorologist KVS Srinivas told ANI.
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The state has been inundated due to heavy rainfall, which has damaged property and claimed 45 lives in rain-related incidents. Though waterlogging has reduced, the state continues to face issues due to the intense flooding caused by the rain.
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Andhra Pradesh home minister Vangalapudi Anitha will begin the process of estimating flood damage in Vijayawada today. Earlier, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had said that 1.4 lakh single-floor residences in the state had suffered extensive damage due to the floods.
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The chief minister has reached out to the central government for aid and has also informed governor S Abdul Nazeer of the flood situation.
According to home minister Vangalapudi Anitha, three lakh food packets, milk and biscuits will be distributed, while 5 lakh kg of vegetables have already been sold through 163 stores.
Further, 20,000 houses have been cleaned using fire engines and 42 drones have been employed for sanitation work.
Neighbouring state Telangana was also badly hit by the floods. Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Friday that the central government would provide both states with an immediate assistance of ₹3,448 crore to aid in protecting people from the impact of the floods.
The agriculture minister also stated that after assessing crop damage, the centre will consider providing seeds, fertilisers and waiving off certain farmer loans as well.