Budameru flood fears haunt residents as monsoon sets in
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Vijayawada: Fear looms large among residents living along the Budameru rivulet in Vijayawada and neighbouring suburbs, as no tangible work was completed to prevent Budameru from entering the residential colonies abutting the stream—even nine months after record floods ravaged the area and submerged half of Vijayawada for more than a fortnight last September.
On September 1, 2024, floodwater from Budameru, following record rains and subsequent breaches in its bund at three locations, entered houses, submerging many colonies and areas including Jakkampudi YSR Colony, Ajith Singh Nagar, and New and Old Rajarajeshwari Pet in the Vijayawada Central and West constituencies. This forced residents living on the ground and first floors to abandon their belongings and vacate their houses, relocating to relief centres for nearly 15 days.
Acting on a war footing, state govt filled the three breaches and assured the construction of a retaining (flood protection) wall along the Budameru stream to protect residents living nearby. However, govt has taken up the retaining wall construction only at the three breach locations, contrary to its promise of constructing a wall along the entire stretch of the stream. A deadline of June 10 was set to complete the wall construction works at those three locations.
CPM state secretariat member Ch Babu Rao accused the TDP-led NDA govt of neglecting the safety and security of the people and the city, turning a blind eye to the promises made during last year's floods regarding full-length flood protection along the Budameru.
"It is estimated that 600 crore would be required to complete the construction of the flood protection wall. However, a mere 30-40 crore was sanctioned. Despite the havoc caused by last year's Budameru floods, govt has no concrete plan of action, such as creating an alternate flood channel to divert Budameru into the Krishna river or expanding the existing diversion channel to enhance its flood-carrying capacity," Babu Rao remarked.
It is understood that govt is currently focusing on the faster execution of flood protection walls at the three breach points, with plans to take up full-scale construction of the flood protection wall in the coming days.
The Budameru bund has developed fresh cracks on the south side between Velpuru and Uppaluru in Kankipadu Mandal of Krishna district. Farmers in the region have raised concerns over water seepage from these cracks, which could potentially inundate agricultural fields in Velpuru, Uppaluru, Manthena, and Tenneru villages in Kankipadu mandal.
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