Post Flood, clean up proves to be a Herculean task
Mud accumulated in front of a house due to flood in Kunavaram village
Rampachodavaram(Alluri Sitarama Raju District): As floodwater has receded in villages, clearing mud, garbage and plastic covers is the latest hardship people facing in several villages in the district. Floodwater reached a height of 10 to 20 feet in these areas for about 5 day leaving mud everywhere in villages like streets, both outside and inside of the houses.
In some villages of Yetapaka and Kunavaram mandals, three feet mud was causing inconvenience to the people in moving around on Thursday. The situation is same everywhere like on Kunavaram main road, streets and Yetapaka.
In some places, furniture got stuck on electric poles. Along with mud, garbage and plastic bags that got washed away by the floodwater also got piled up.
Two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles were damaged after submerged in floodwater for several days. As muddy water entered inside the vehicles, it will take at least Rs 4,500 to Rs 10,000 for repairs, some people wailed.
Villagers alleged that the fire department staff removed mud from main roads only in some areas and left the remaining areas in village.
They said they cannot undertake sanitation programmes without removing mud.
Srinivasu, a resident of Yetapaka, said that it costed Rs 200 for him to remove mud from his house and to clean it. He said floodwater brought poisonous insects and mosquitoes also into the houses. He alleged that though the officials are claiming that roads in flooded areas are cleaned and supply restored, but the ground reality is somewhat different.
Ganapathi from Kunavaram pointed out that the compensation of Rs 2,000, which the government gave to flood victims, who went to rehabilitation centres, was not enough even for transport charges of household goods. He questioned from where they can get money during this difficult time to clean mud in the house or to repair damaged houses. He criticised that they cannot even buy essentials in the village and they are not getting any help from the government. District Collector Sumeet Kumar said the district administration called additional workers from other districts and hundreds of sanitation workers are involved in restoring normalcy in submerged areas. He said that 110 special medical camps have been set up in Chinturu, Kunavaram and VR Puram mandals and providing medical services to flood victims. Medicines are also being distributed free of charge, he added.
About 250 sanitation workers have been brought from other districts to remove garbage. The Collector said they are spraying bleaching and mosquito repellents also. All measures are being taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, Collector Sumeet said.