Floods wreck havoc in several parts of Andhra
By Fr Bellamkonda Sudhakar |
| Hyderabad, Oct. 3. Three Salesian communities stand tall and strong in the midst of inundated areas in the heavily flooded areas of Andhra Pradesh (AP) as shelter for people. Children and people of the neighbourhood are stranded on the second and third floor of the street children`s new shelter home (still under construction) in Kurnool town (the ground floor is completely under water). All children and staff from Chiguru (Children`s village, Vijayawada) have been shifted to the city as the house, situated on the banks of Krishna river is completely under water. The new presence in Kollapur, Mahbubnagar is better off in comparison, but the neighbourhood needs help. |
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 | | File photos: (Left) Shelter building in Kurnool; (Top Right) Children at Chiguru, Vijayawada; (Bottom right) Boarding section of Kollapur, Mahbubnagar | | View actual size |
Heavy rains for the last three days, resulting from the depression in the Bay of Bengal, have badly crippled life in the districts of Mahabubnagar, Kurnool, Krishna and Guntur districts Andhra Pradesh (AP). With no let down in the down pour, relief work too is hampered. The officials report that at least 56 people have died due to this flood but the exact number could be even higher as information services are being reconnected. The flood has caused heavy lose to property and livestock especially in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar and Krishna districts. The situation may worsen in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Krishna and Guntur districts as the water levels in Krishna, Tungabhadra are increasing every hour following heavy rain upstream in neighbouring Karnataka.
The Salesian community at Kurnool is actively involved in relief services as a thousand people are given shelter at Don Bosco Technical School. They are being provided food and accommodation in the technical school building. Providentially the house has no immediate threat of being inundated. However the situation in Kurnool town is bad. As it is, the old shelter home is totally flooded. People from the area have taken shelter in the new building, the construction of which is still on. With the ground floor submerged, people are huddled in the second and third floor of the incomplete building. Food, safe drinking water and warm clothing are the most essential commodities now.
The other Salesian community which is badly affected is Chiguru (children`s Village) one of the rehabilitation homes of the Street children, which is situated on the river banks of river Krishna. All the children and inmates have been shifted to the city shelter homes (Navajeevan), Vijayawada. In a similar fashion Salesians at Kollapur, in Mahabubnagar District, which was just initiated this year, are also trying their best to reach the people affected by the floods along with other religious communities in the neighbourhood. Bosco Seva Kendra (BSK), the Development Office is already monitoring the situation and trying its best to support them at this moment.
More than 50 villages have been inundated (21 in Mahabubnagar and 29 in Kurnool districts), cutting off road links to several towns and villages. The floods severely damaged paddy, cotton and ground crops in thousands of acres. Authorities in Kurnool district have evacuated about 12,000 people and have opened 39 relief camps. The heavy rain also damaged roads, breaking the transport link to several villages. The district authorities have been put on alert in view of the forecast of more rains over the next two days due to low pressure over the Bay of Bengal. The state government has sought help from the army and NGOs for rescue and relief operations, especially in Kurnool district. |
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