Venkaiah conducts aerial survey of flood-hit Andhra district

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and promised all help from the Centre.

A central team will visit the state after receiving a report from the state government about the losses. Naidu said all necessary assistance will be provided by the Centre.

Accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Kamenani Srinivas, Naidu took off in a helicopter from here and flew over parts of Guntur district affected by heavy rains and floods last week.

The rains have caused severe damage to the standing crops in Guntur district, including paddy fields that have been submerged.

Other standing crops, mostly chillies, turmeric and cotton, grown on over 41,000 hectares suffered extensive damage.

Naidu flew over Peddanandipadu Gurazala, Macherla and other villages to inspect the damaged crops and also the overflowing rivulets and streams. He also made an aerial survey of the railway tracks damaged due to floods.

The central minister spoke to the Guntur Collector to ensure that all necessary relief like food and drinking water are provided to the people in the rain-hit areas.

Meanwhile, heavy rains continued to lash north coastal Andhra.

Normal life in Srikakulam district has come to a standstill because of rains since Monday. The tribal areas of the district were worst hit with several villages cut off due to flooded roads.

Almost all water reservoirs in the state were receiving huge inflows. The authorities are releasing surplus water from the Prakasam barrage, which is receiving massive inflows from upstream projects across the Krishna river.

The Met office has forecast heavy rains at isolated places in Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godvari and West Godavari districts over the next 24 hours, ending at 0830 hrs on Wednesday.

--IANS

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