Thirty-five-year-old Muthyala Reddy considers himself fortunate to survive each night unscathed. A resident of Kollur village in Vararamachandrapuram (VR Puram) mandal in Andhra’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district, he is among the 62 Adivasi families left to fend for themselves after the recent floods in the area. Belonging to the Kondareddy community, the families have been camping in the Beeramaya hills for over a month, allegedly without any help from the authorities.
Located on the banks of the Godavari river, Kollur is a flood-prone village. After at least 30 thatched-roof houses were completely destroyed due to the floods and the rest inundated with flood water, the residents have set up a temporary shelter atop the hill in the village. Like Kollur, several hamlets in VR Puram mandal have been severely affected due to the floods. According to VR Puram Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) member Valla Ranga Reddy, barring two all panchayats have been inundated and the residents are facing a similar crisis. The mandal has 11 panchayats.
“We are staying here holding on to our lives every night. Once the sun sets, a sense of fear prevails. Without lights, there is always the danger of venomous insects and snakes sneaking into our shelter. We have small children too. It is extremely difficult to live like this,” Muthyala lamented.
Kollur is a village dominated by the Adivasi Kondareddy community. “Ours is one of the interior villages in the district. We have never had access to electricity, but we were not that scared in our homes. But camping here on the hill has us constantly worried. What if someone is bitten by a snake? How should we carry the person to the hospital wading through the water?” said Muthayala.
He alleged that the authorities did not make any effort to reach out to them or inform them about the severity of the floods. “We are on our own. Nobody has come to check if we are alive or dead. We have lost all our belongings and our homes in the floods. The government had assured us that they would relocate us to a safe shelter in East Godavari district, but these shelters are not ready yet.”
Suthru Ramarao Reddy, resident of Kotaragummam village in the same mandal, told TNM, “We do not have access to drinking water. We are using the water flowing from the hills. Because of this people are falling sick. At least 10 persons in my village are suffering from malaria because we are living in the jungle. We want authorities to provide us safe drinking water. We don’t even have borewells here. At least some arrangements for a purifier should be made.”
Confirming what the residents said, the ZPTC member said that in June, during the first phase of the floods, the district administration had provided 25 kg rice, dal and oil to the flood-affected residents. “But later they were not provided anything. This is the situation across the mandal,” said Valla Ranga Reddy.
The allegations of indifference was seconded by Valla Venkateswara Reddy, Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency member from Jeediguppa, VR Puram mandal.
Speaking to TNM, Venkateswara Reddy said, “Except for initially providing rice, dal and oil, the district administration hasn’t done anything. With the help of NGOs and other volunteer organisations we have been providing rations and conducting health camps. The situation is really bad.”
Apart from Alluri Sitharamaraju district, several flood-prone areas in Eluru, East Godavari and West Godavari districts have also been cut off from the mainland due to the floods.
When TNM reached out to the VR Puram Mandal Revenue Officer, Sridhar, he said, “The Godavari belt (in which Kollur is located) has witnessed total submergence. It has been completely cut off. We are sending them supplies through boats. The necessary supplies will reach them tomorrow.”