40 villages submerge in AP's Guntur district; 1 death reported

The floods caused by river Krishna have submerged about 40 villages and so far one flood-related death is reported in Guntur district.

About 30,000 flood victims have taken shelter in 64 relief camps in Guntur district. District collector, PSR Anjaneyulu has assured food and clean drinking water to the inmates of the camps and appealed to all people living in 64 vulnerable villages in 15 talukas along the 300km river to vacate their homes.

Mediapersons, covering the flood battered areas, spotted two persons perched on a tree near Regullagadda village crying for help. The mediapersons alerted the authorities to rescue them.

Some villagers have taken shelter atop hillocks as their villages have been inundated in the district. The Pulichintala project, under construction, on the river Krishna is completely submerged.

The swelling of the river has caused grave concern about the ability of the flood banks to withstand the fierce pounding by the swirling river, as 10lakh cusecs of water cascaded from the Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada down the stream.

Though engineers have assured the public that the flood banks were designed to take 11lakh cusecs of water, they are not complacent. The engineers have started strengthening the weak points in the flood banks.