Breaches on Budameru closed; Government prepared to meet exigency, if flood increases: Chandrababu Naidu

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
| Photo Credit: G. N. Rao

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has stated that the State government could successfully close the breaches on the Budameru drain. Even the Army engineering wing appreciated the State government’s efforts. “It is a historic day that the breaches were plugged despite heavy floods,” he said.

Referring to the predictions of flood in the Budameru drain, Mr. Naidu asserted that State Government was taking all measures to meet the exigency, if any.   

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Speaking to reporters on Saturday (September 7, 2024), Mr. Naidu said that the State Government would find a permanent solution to the Budameru drain problem. Though the breaches were plugged, 1.01 TMC of flood water stagnated in the city.

The stagnated water levels have gone up due to rain on Saturday. There are no fresh inflows in the Budamru drain. However, outflows have been increased. As per the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), about 0.38 TMC water would reach the Budameru drain and another 0.09 TMC water into Vijayawada city.

As per The India Meteorological Department (IMD), a 1.86 TMC flood water would reach the Budameru area. The IMD also predicts that 0.37 TMC water would flow into the city. “The Government was preparing to meet the exigency considering the IMD prediction,” he said, adding, that the people in flood-affected areas wanted a permanent solution to the Budameru drain and the Government was working on it.

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He alleged that the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government was responsible for the havoc. The YSRCP government did not take up the repair of a single drain in the State. The project gates were not repaired or maintained properly. They destroyed all systems. Not a single paise was released even though the Annamayya project was washed away, the gates of the Gundlakamma project washed away twice, and the gates of the Pulichintala project were damaged. The five works sanctioned for the Budameru drain were thrown to the winds. The drain was full of encroachments with the construction of houses according to the whims and fancies of the people.