Andhra Pradesh faces drinking water shortage, diseases

Andhra Pradesh may be slowly limping out of the flood crisis, but a major challenge is awaiting state authorities in the form of shortage of drinking water and spread of diseases in thousands of villages.

The state has so far announced 33 deaths due to flood. But the loss of livestock is likely to be one of the highest in the history of the state. Krishna river is witnessing the worst-ever flood since 1903 and though the preparedness of the government machinery has helped check the loss of human lives, the receding water will throw up several unpleasant surprises.

Rescue teams have been supplying packaged water and food to evacuees in about 1,000 villages. However, most villages have lost their drinking water tanks and related infrastructure.

As the water recedes and people start going back home from relief camps, drinking water will become one of the major challenges facing the government.

According to eye witnesses, bodies of animals and birds are floating in villages. Till Saturday night, officials had evacuated 475 villages. This would mean about 18 lakh people will be affected by the flood. “In several villages, bodies of animals tied to wooden pillars of submerged houses are floating for the past two days. They will soon start decomposing and pose a major health hazard,” a rescue worker said over the phone from Nandyal in Kurnool district. In Mantralayam alone, about 200 cows have died in the Sri Raghavendra Mutt’s Goshala.  Interestingly, government officials are still not willing to comment on the loss to human lives.

By Sunday, both Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams  returned to its normal capacity with outflow higher than the inflow from Karnataka. Though the Met office predicted that rainfall would continue for at least another 24 hours, government officials were confident that the worst was over.