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Learning from flood crisis, Naidu announces preventive measures

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

The Andhra Pradesh government has released Rs 1.1 billion towards rescue, relief and restoration works, including input subsidy for the agricultural crops affected by the floods that have hit the state since August 22. Sixteen out of 23 districts have been affected by the heavy rains and floods.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also announced some long-term measures to tackle any such contingency in the future. The measures include bringing all the water bodies in the state under a single body.

Naidu said that he appraised Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee about the flood situation in the state. He said that the central team, headed by Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar, that visited the flood-ravaged areas last week, has finalised its report. "The Prime Minister has assured that the Union Cabinet would discuss and decide on the assistance for Andhra Pradesh," he added.

He explained that the state government has sanctioned ex-gratia assistance of Rs 100,000 each to the families of adult persons who died in the floods. Additionally, the Government of India has sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 for them.

For children who died, their families will get ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund and the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. An amount of Rs 7.85 million has already been sanctioned from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the families of 157 persons who died.

The chief minister said that the water level in most lakes and rivers in the state was receding. Referring to the leak from the Durgam Cheruvu lake at Madhapur on Hyderabad's outskirts, he said that efforts were on to plug the leakage. He said that 500 people had been deployed for placing sand and cement bags.

He said that as a long-term measure to tackle floods, the government has issued orders on Thursday to form a new irrigation circle to take charge of all the water bodies, including the Hussain Sagar lake, in the state. The body will maintain and develop the water bodies.

The government has also constituted a task force to survey all water bodies in Hyderabad urban area, identify encroachments, suggest alternate areas for rehabilitation of affected families and oversee the construction of permanent houses for the displaced families.

EARLIER REPORT
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