Sonia, Chidambaram visit flood-ravaged south

The centre has sent specially trained NDRF personnel and inflatable boats to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The defence forces are also assisting in relief and rescue operations
Hardnews Bureau

A week after the government announced that India has been affected by one of the worst drought in 40 years, parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra witnessed one of the worst floods in 100 years.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday visited the flood-hit areas and did aerial survey of various districts submerged under water. Reportedly, Gandhi assured Andhra Chief Minister K Rosaiah that all possible help would be provided for relief operations. She also asked the state government to be cautious in Vijayawada so that no lives are lost. She later did an aerial survey of Bellary district in Karnataka along with Home Minister P Chidambaram.

More than 230 people have lost their lives and millions have been rendered homeless in the floods. Crops worth crores have been destroyed. The rescue and relief operation are underway and can get difficult as more heavy rains have been predicted in Andhra Pradesh.

Nearly 170 persons have been killed in Karnataka, 37 in Andhra Pradesh and 26 in Maharashtra. Rosaiah on Monday urged the centre to consider the devastating floods in the state as a national calamity and asked for Rs 6,000 crore relief package.

The Congress party expressed deep sympathy with the people affected by floods. Congress spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Every effort is underway at the state and central level to provide healing touch and my heart goes out to those who have been rendered homeless." He also added that though it is a state level issue but centre is determined to provide help.

The Congress maintained that several columns of defence forces and trained NDRF personnel are already helping in relief and rehabilitation operations. The centre has sent specially trained NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel, 694 in Andhra and 249 in Karnataka, and 80 inflatable boats to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. According to officials, the army, navy and air force are also assisting in relief and rescue operations. They are distributing food and drinking water in the affected areas.

When asked whether the political instability in Andhra led to such a situation, Singhvi said that he rejected and condemned the argument that political instability had anything to do with relief operations. He said, "Such cheap political gimmickry is regrettable."

When asked whether interlinking of rivers would help in reducing the extent of such calamities, Singhvi said that the process is not just long, it's super long and various experts are still debating whether it will be a success or not. "It's not a quickie... The jury is still out on interlinking," he said.

The floods, caused by days of torrential rain, have caused mass evacuations leaving hundreds of thousands in relief camps. With rainfall decreasing, officials said relief efforts were now focused on providing shelter to survivors who have been left homeless.

After the heavy rainfall, water discharged from the river Krishna threatened to engulf parts of Vijayawada city located on the banks of the river in Andhra Pradesh. Vijayawada was entirely cut off from the state capital Hyderabad. Hundreds of villages in Krishna and Guntur districts were facing the threat of being submerged with the water level in the Prakasam barrage across the Krishna river reaching the maximum level.

Rosaiah said that around 475,000 people had been evacuated from their homes. This is said to be the worst flood of the century to have hit the state with destruction estimated at Rs 12,225crore.