The negligence of the authorities is gradually emerging behind the floods that engulfed the city of Vijayawada. From the night of August 30th to the late night of August 31st, the stream overflowed the top of the Velagaleru Diversion Scheme. Irrigation officials found that the Budameru stream was flowing at a dangerous level on the afternoon of the 31st.
It seems that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is ready to take action against many negligent officials responsible for Budameru flooding. It seems that around eight officials have been found responsible. A report has already reached the Chief Minister about the failure of the high level officials as well as the officials of various government departments.
Chandrababu is reportedly getting ready to sideline the officials who have failed to recognize the disaster that left lakhs of people homeless. No telemetry system is available to calculate the amount of rainfall upstream and downstream of Budameru.
Although there are systems for recording rainfall at the mandal level, the water resources department does not have the knowledge to estimate the flows coming to the Budameru catchment area. Officials at the highest level have already identified that human failure as well as natural calamity led to the flooding of Vijayawada city.
In view of weather conditions in Vijayawada on 31st, IMD forecasts and disaster warnings, the Chief Minister’s visit to Kurnool was also cancelled. He was scheduled to leave for Hyderabad on 31st August in the afternoon.
All the national highways are already waterlogged due to heavy rain. The low-lying areas on the national highway from Vijayawada Benz Circle to Kesarapalli were flooded. A huge number of vehicles were stuck on the Vijayawada- Hyderabad national highway. Oil tankers and travel buses were stuck in water near the RTC bus station.
Starting from Benz Circle, Mahanadu Junction, Ramavarappadu Ring Road and Enikepadu, vehicles were stuck at many places on the national highway. Chief Minister Chandrababu postponed his visit to Hyderabad on Saturday 31st and remained in Undavalli in the wake of heavy floods and warnings of flood flow from the upper reaches of the Krishna River.
The Chief Minister discussed the heavy rains and floods with the officials at his residence till the afternoon of 31st. Some of the important officials left for Hyderabad on the information that the CM would leave Hyderabad in the afternoon of 31. On the afternoon of the same day, the water resources department officials sent the flood information to the government. It seems that flood information does not reach the officials who have to take important decisions on floods.