Kudos to AP govt, Budameru Canal under control now

For the past few days, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh has experienced a one-of-its kind flooding that ravaged different parts of the city, leaving hundreds stranded and many other in dire straits. Torrential rains and the subsequent overflow of canals and drains led to this calamitous situation which claimed a few lives besides doing a great damage to the public life. 

The Budameru rivulet turned out to be the sorrow of Vijayawada because it has overflown into the low-lying areas, submerging several colonies and streets. The government of Andhra Pradesh under the able leadership of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu quickly swung into action and undertook an inspiring rescue operation to limit the damage caused by these floods. Besides ensuring the safety of the people in sensitive areas, the government also made sure that all basic amenities are provided to the victims.

As the rains intensified again, the Budameru canal once again posed a bigger threat to the city even when the rescue operations are underway. So, the government took up the task of plugging the breaches on Budameru bund on a war-footing basis to ensure that no further loss is caused by the stream. With the assistance of Indian army, the government has finally achieved the goal by  Saturday afternoon. 

As per the latest update, the third breach of Budameru canal has finally been plugged just a while ago. The first and second breaches , each ranging between 10 metres and 15 metres were plugged yesterday. However, the temporary solution led to a funnelling effect, increasing the inflow drastically at the third breach which needed additional strategies from the expert group to get it closed. 

After deploying a robust two-layer strategy using Gabion baskets, the work on the third breach has also been completed now. The swift response by the government has ensured that the Budameru canal will not make the situation worse and the flood-hit city is on way back to normalcy. The people of Vijayawada will heave a sigh of relief with this latest update. 

Chandrababu Naidu has been monitoring the works of the canal regularly besides overseeing the rescue operations. Irrigation Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu has spent sleepless nights as the breaches of the canal were being plugged by the officials.