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CM Jagan says Andhra suffered ₹6,000 crore loss due to rains
As many as 40 people died in the calamity and another 25 people are still missing, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy informed the Centre on Wednesday
Hyderabad The recent heavy rains in Rayalaseema and south coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh due to a depression in Bay of Bengal resulted in a loss of ₹6,054 crore in the form of destruction of properties and infrastructure, and damage to standing crops. As many as 40 people died in the calamity and another 25 people are still missing, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy informed the Centre on Wednesday.
In a letter written to Union home minister Amit Shah, the chief minister requested that the Centre release ₹1,000 crore towards immediate relief and restoration works in the flood-affected areas.
Jagan said four south coastal districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore, and four Rayalaseema districts of Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa and Chitttoor received an average rainfall of 11.1 cm, against the normal of 3.2 cm, between November 13 and 20.
“On a single day on November 19, the highest rainfall of 20 cm was recorded in Peddamandyam block in Chittoor district, 19.3 cm in Galiveedu block of Kadapa district and 17.8 cm in Nallacheruvu block of Ananthapuram district,” he said.
Heavy rains also lashed the temple town of Tirupati, Tirumala, Nellore town, Madanapalli and Rajampet town, causing inundation of low-lying areas and disrupting normal life. As many as 17 NDRF and SDRF teams and two helicopters had to be deployed for undertaking search and rescue operations.
“Despite their best efforts, 40 people, including one SDRF constable involved in search and rescue operations, died and 25 people are still missing. As many as 1,402 villages in 196 mandals and four towns were affected. As part of relief measures, 324 relief camps accommodating about 69,616 people have been arranged in the affected districts and they are still continuing,” the chief minister said.
He pointed out that several highways, irrigation tanks and canals got breached and damaged at several places in Kadapa, Chittoor, Ananthapuram and Nellore districts. Somasila reservoir in Pennar basin received heavy inflows of more than 500,000 cusecs of water during 48 hours causing inundation of low-lying areas in Nellore town and Kovvur in the district.
“The Annamayya reservoir in Kadapa district got breached and thus, a railway track between Nandaluru and Hastavaram was badly damaged causing traffic disruption. In Nellore district Swarnamukhi has been in spate with heavy inflows and thus, the road between Kovvur and Nellore town submerged in flood water,” he said.
Jagan said heavy rains created havoc in the affected districts as the crops in thousands of acres suffered damage. The worst-affected were the farmers as the crops that were ready for harvesting were damaged. The cost of the crops damaged and loss to infrastructure is estimated at ₹6054.29 crore.
He requested the Centre to come to the rescue of the state by immediately releasing ₹1,000 crore as an interim aid so as to provide relief to affected families and restore the normalcy by undertaking repairs and restoration of damaged infrastructure in the affected districts.
“I also request you to kindly depute the Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) at the earliest to assess the damage and losses caused by heavy rains,” the chief minister said.
