Indian Army HADR team to continue flood relief efforts in Andhra Pradesh

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The Indian Army continued its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to contain critical breaches by using Gabion baskets in Vijayawada amid the ongoing floods in Andhra Pradesh.

"The Indian Army HADR operations column has been pro actively addressing the situation in Vijayawada following breaches in three critical locations. The initial breaches, identified as Breach 1 and Breach 2, each ranging from 10-15 meters in width, have been temporarily plugged by the Civil administration stabilising the situation momentarily." said an official statement.

However, the temporary solution to plug the two breaches led to a funnelling effect, which increased the water flow at the third breach. "This temporary solution has led to a funnelling effect, increasing the water flow significantly at the third breach site, which spans approximately 80-100 meters. The water current at this location is currently between 6-8 knots, with projections suggesting it might escalate to 10-12 knots." the statement added.

The HADR team is reportedly going to use Gabion and HESCO baskets to contain the breaches in critical areas.

According to the statement, "The team plans to employ a robust two-layer strategy using Gabion baskets, each measuring 5x2x2 meters. These baskets will be stacked atop one another and filled with stones to fortify the breach. Following the placement of the Gabion baskets, a protective bund reaching up to 4 meters in height will be constructed, accompanied by necessary earthwork to support the outer side of the baskets."
 

The Army HADR team is using local resources for the construction of gabion baskets to ensure quick deployment. "Furthermore, the fabrication of these Gabion baskets is underway using local resources at the site for immediate deployment. Additionally, trials will also include the use of HESCO baskets filled with sandbags to evaluate their effectiveness in this scenario." the statement said.

Gabion baskets are a type of wired basket filled with rocks and/or soil to help prevent erosion, or retain a slope. HESCO baskets are a type of wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner, used as a temporary levee.

The Indian Navy has also continued its relief and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh. The Flood Relief Teams (FTR) evacuated people to safety and distributed food to affected households.