Central team embarks on Telangana flood-damage assessment

HYDERABAD: The central team, tasked with assessing the damage caused by torrential rains and floods in Telangana, visited Jayashankar Bhupalapalli district on Thursday. Members of the team took stock of the situation while inspecting the extent of damage to crops, houses and roads. Earlier in the day, the six-member team landed in Hyderabad from New Delhi before embarking on its field study. The team will continue its damage assessment on Friday also.

Bhupalapalli District Collector Bhavesh Mishra gave a power-point presentation to the central team at the GENCO Guest House and gave a detailed account of the destruction and the incurring losses. He apprised the visiting team that river Godavari experienced floods of this scale for the first time. The Mahamuttaram mandal received copious rains on July 10 and 11, adding further to the deluge.

The collector brought to the notice of the central team that Palimela, Mahadevpur, Mahamuttaram, Kataram, Malharrao and Bhupapalalli mandals have been severely damaged due to floods. Adding that there was no loss of life in the floods, the collector revealed that 251 cattle died. Bhavesh Mishra also explained to the central team that with the help of NDRF, relief operations were carried out on a war-footing in the flood-affected villages.

A report will be submitted to the Centre after studying at field level the severity of floods and the extent of damage. The Central team will also visit Bhadrachalam and Kadem projects besides covering other flood-affected areas like Nirmal, Adilabad, and Mancherial as part of the two-day visit. On receiving the report from the team, the Centre will take a call on the flood relief assistance to be granted to the state.

Telangana estimates flood damage at Rs 1,400 cr

Prior to this exercise, the State government, in its report sent to the Union government, has estimated the losses from natural calamities of heavy rains and floods at Rs 1400 crores. The State government has appealed to the Centre to release Rs 1,000 crores under immediate assistance. Out of the total damage, a loss of Rs 498 crores to the Roads and Buildings Department was estimated as a result of causeways and roads getting washed away in the floods.

The State government stated that Rs. 449 crores under the Panchayat Raj Department, Rs 33 crores (Irrigation Department), Rs 379 crores (Municipal Administration) and Rs seven crores (Electricity Department) were reported. The respective departments had prepared reports based on preliminary estimates to the State government which came up with a comprehensive dossier on this.