The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : People in Diviseema in grip of fear

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Sunday, Oct 04, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

People in Diviseema in grip of fear

Staff Reporter

Special boats reach island villages like Tatakullanka, Kollilanka and Gudem

People in hamlets abutting the river and island villages being evacuated on a war-footing
Special rescue teams expected to reach Diviseema region this morning

AVANIGADDA (Krishna dist.): Fear gripped people of Diviseema region on Saturday as the water levels in the Krishna increased by every passing hour. Added to their woes was the word that there was high tide in the Bay of Bengal since morning.

Relief camp

Though it was a common phenomenon around every full moon day, the flood situation compounded their fears and woes.

A relief camp was arranged in Avanigadda town and people from hamlets abutting the river and island villages in the midst of the river were being evacuated on a war-footing.

In addition, the officials launched a campaign through the public address system asking all the residents of low-lying areas to move to safer places and cooperate with the officials who came for evacuation. Though the water level in the river was not alarming even on Saturday evening, the officials began the evacuation suspecting a sudden increase in the flow by the night.

The Government Degree College was turned into a relief camp, where residents of Patha Yedla Lanka were shifted in by the evening. Special boats reached island villages like Tatakullanka, Kollilanka and Gudem, whereas tractors were rushed to the nearby villages on the banks of the Krishna. Multitasking was being done at the relief camp located on the sprawling campus of the college. Besides maintaining sanitation and arranging lights on the campus, food was prepared for about 1,000 evacuees by 4 p.m. “Lathi-wielding policemen came to our village in the afternoon and took us in a boat by force. As we belonged to fishermen community, we argued that we can reach the safe zone by our own boats in the event of inundation. But the officials told us that there was a ban on movement of our boats,” said Vakapalli Bhagyalakshmi, 50, from Patha Yedla Lanka. Besides Avanigadda, relief and rehabilitation operations were launched in Koduru, Mopidevi, Ghantasala and Nagayalanka mandals. . Special teams expected to reach the Diviseema region by Sunday.

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