Vijayawada floods: Never seen rain like this before, say residents

The ongoing flood situation in Vijayawada in NTR district is one of the worst natural calamities to hit the city in the last three decades. While several districts, including neighbouring Palnadu and Guntur were victims of floods, Vijayawada in NTR was the worst hit. According to weather reports, Vijayawada received 27% more rain (548.40 mm) against the annual rainfall of 429.10 mm.

The South Central Railway cancelled 323 trains and diverted 170 others in view of the Vijayawada floods.

While several relief measures were quickly introduced, Opposition parties have criticised the state government for not responding on time despite warnings. Of the 228 boats deployed to rescue people affected, 154 boats alone were employed in NTR district (for which Vijayawada serves as the headquarters.

Residents of areas like Ajithsingh Nagar, YSR Colony, Jakkampudi Colony, and Ambapuram in Vijayawada Urban and Vijayawada Rural were evacuated. As of 1 pm on Tuesday, September 3, 12 units of State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and 21 units of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) have been deployed across NTR district. As per state government estimates, a total of 2.76 lakh people have been affected by the flood in NTR district.

Five people have died in Vijayawada’s Mogalrajapuram following a landslide. According to the state government, nine people have died in NTR district alone.

City changed overnight, says Vijayawada residents

Speaking to TNM, Autonagar Technicians Association (ATA) president Rajanala Venkata Ramana Rao said the flood has affected the livelihood of workers in Vijayawada’s Autonagar, an area known for housing automobile manufacturing units, spare parts dealerships, and related businesses. “The water has receded for the moment and isn’t more than 1-2 feet. While Autonagar wasn’t affected adversely, workshops have been flooded and there has been some damage,” he said.

A part-time journalist based out of Vijayawada told TNM that Ajith Singh Nagar, was one of the worst hit areas of Vijayawada. “While Budameru stream breached, leading to flooding, several people had to be evacuated. The rescue operations were not quick enough. Several people aren’t able to reach out to their families because their phones have been disconnected,” he said.

Areas like New Rajarajeswari Peta, Rajeev Nagar, and HUDA Colony were also affected by flooding. A stampede-like situation was reported on the Ajith Singh Nagar flyover on Monday, September 2, as several people scrambled to get the free food which was being distributed.

Speaking to TV9 Telugu, a resident of Krishnalanka colony in Vijayawada said, “All the houses in the colony have been affected and are now unlivable. This is a catastrophic situation, one which I haven’t witnessed in the last 30 years.”

“This doesn’t feel like a city, it feels like a forest where at any given time, anything could happen. Just offering a compensation of Rs 10 lakh at a later date won’t suffice,” said a resident of Old Rajeshwaripeta. Another resident said everything happened in an hour. “My house was completely inundated and we are still waiting for the boats to save us,” she said.

The TDP-led Andhra Pradesh government has been criticised by the Opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) for the situation. Former Chief Minister and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said the weather department had issued an extreme rainfall alert on August 28 but the state government ignored the warning and failed to evacuate people quickly.