Vijayawada Floods: Chandrababu Fails, Anger Mounts Against TDP Government

In Vijayawada's Singh Nagar, Shravanthi, a resident of Wambe Colony, has been in distress for two days as she is unable to find her two children. On Saturday morning, she went out for daily labor work, and shortly after, she received the shocking news that Wambe Colony was submerged. She has been in tears ever since, not knowing whether her son and daughter, trapped inside the house for 36 hours, are safe or not.

With her children both under ten years old, Shravanthi is worried sick, unable to eat or sleep. When she tried to reach out to the authorities for help, she found no one willing to listen, leaving her in utter despair. "No one is paying attention to my tears. My children, born from my womb, are stuck in a dangerous situation, but the government officials are ignoring my pleas," she lamented. Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of the plight of flood victims.

Such tragic stories are common across the flood-hit areas. Due to the government's failure in rescue operations, many scenes show women and children being carried on the shoulders of their relatives or volunteers through waist-deep water. People scream in panic as snakes and venomous creatures wrap around their legs while they wade through the floodwaters.

Singh Nagar Underwater: Aerial View

"Will We Survive by Dawn?" "They drowned us without any warning. If we had been informed earlier, we could have at least saved ourselves with some belongings. By Sunday dawn, the water surrounded us. Many small children, elderly people, and pregnant women are stranded. Forget food, we don’t even have a sip of clean drinking water to save our lives. Babies are crying out for milk. Although some boats are moving on the main road, no matter how much we plead, they aren't coming inside the alleys. Only a few houses on the roadside are receiving food, milk, and water. Thousands of families are inside, and I don’t know if they will survive by dawn. The government has failed miserably in rescue efforts. The ground floors of houses in the colonies are completely submerged, and people are taking refuge on rooftops and upper floors. Whenever a boat appears, they beg for water and milk packets to be thrown up to them," one flood victim recounted, shedding tears.

The Struggles of Flood Victims in Singh Nagar, Vijayawada, for Food, Milk, and Drinking Water

Some people somehow managed to escape with their belongings, but many are surviving in terror on rooftops, unable to muster the courage to leave. There is no electricity in the flood-affected colonies. Phones aren't working. At night, it feels like going through hell," said survivors, their eyes welling up with tears.

In Rajiv Nagar, Kundrika, Gunadala, Luna Center, Payakapuram, Thotavariveedhi, and other colonies, relief operations are still inadequate. Due to collapsed animal sheds, mute animals have been stranded on the roads for two days without water or food. With homes submerged, belongings are entirely damaged. Water entering shops has rendered goods unusable.

Crowds Throng Around Milk Vans

Victims in the Thousands, Boats in the Tens With victims numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the boats provided by the government are woefully inadequate. They are limited to transporting water, milk, and food to victims along the roads. Some boats are returning due to punctures. Taking advantage of the situation, some are cashing in on boat rides, charging Rs. 5,000 per family and Rs. 1,000–1,500 per person. The poor are not even allowed to board the boats.

Within the Limits of Five Constituencies... With the Budameru River overflowing, around 450,000 people across five constituencies—Vijayawada Central, East, West, Mylavaram, and Gannavaram—have been affected by the floodwaters. Over 250,000 victims are still trapped and struggling to survive, unable to come out as their connection to various colonies has been cut off. By Monday evening, they hadn't even managed to evacuate 20,000 people.

Only Water As Far As the Eye Can See Even after 48 hours, the government has completely given up, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded in the floods. Cooking utensils, gas stoves, wardrobes, clothes, furniture, and books in victims' homes have been ruined by mud. With no place to stay indoors, stepping out only reveals water stretching as far as the eye can see. The government hasn’t even supplied candles.

The Chief Minister’s statement on Sunday about airlifting victims using helicopters turned out to be empty promises. VIPs' hustle and bustle are only adding to the victims' woes. VIP vehicles are lined up for kilometers, blocking ambulance routes. Prices of milk and other essentials have tripled, yet the government remains indifferent.

When Begging for Food... Babu Simply Smiled and Bowed

For two days, flood victims have been starving and are pleading with visiting public representatives for something to eat. When Chief Minister Chandrababu toured Singh Nagar in a boat, an elderly woman begged him for food, showing him a child. However, he just smiled, bowed to her, and sailed away in his boat without instructing officials to provide her with any food. The video has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism of Chandrababu's response.

Where Are the Rehabilitation Centers? Some of those trapped in the flood-hit areas have somehow managed to escape with the help of volunteers and relatives, using sticks and ropes, but the government hasn't even set up proper relief camps. Half-baked camps that were set up have also been submerged, leaving people helpless on the roads. They are starving without food and are angry at the government's failure to launch effective rescue operations. Medical camps have not been set up in flood-hit areas, and due to a lack of coordination between government departments, victims are facing severe difficulties.

Outrage Against Ministers: "Did You Come Just for Photos, Like Tourists?" Flood victims in Singh Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, and other areas confronted ministers Anitha, Sandhya Rani, and Achannaidu, along with the DGP. They expressed their anger, saying, "If you cannot save Vijayawada, how will you save the state?" They criticized them for failing to provide even clean drinking water, accusing them of visiting in boats like tourists, clicking photos, and leaving. Witnessing the anger of the victims, ministers Anitha and Sandhya Rani quickly left the area.

We Must Be Saved by God

"We live on the Budameru bund. On one side is the floodwater, and on the other, there is the fear of snakes and scorpions. We are living with our lives in our hands. We have not had food for two days. Not even drinking water is available. Although they said food packets were being distributed, they haven't reached us. Even those packets are only reaching a few people. The officials and staff who came to help us are just ignoring us. No help has been provided. Only God can save us," said Mang and Saraswati, residents of the area around the Budameru bund.

My Children Are Missing

"I make a living by pulling a rickshaw. My daughter came from our village to see us, but she got stuck in the flood. I came to the shore to bring food to my family. Now, the police aren't letting me go inside. The children are starving inside. There’s no water to drink, and no food to eat. After I came out, my people came looking for me, but they are now missing. I don't know where they are," said Krishna, a rickshaw worker from Bombay Colony, Payakapuram.

All Government Claims Are Hollow

"My wife has been suffering from a fever for two days, so we went to the American Hospital in Singh Nagar, where they said it was typhoid. We admitted her to the hospital, but when the flood hit unexpectedly, I tried to bring my fever-stricken wife and child to safety. No one helped. We haven't had food or water since yesterday. Somehow, we managed to reach the shore using sticks through the floodwaters. All the other patients with us are in the same situation. Pregnant women and new mothers are walking through the water. The government's claims of conducting rescue operations are all hollow," said Shankar and Mamatha from Singh Nagar.

All Hype and Chaos, But No Help

"I came to Vijayawada from Bangalore four days ago for a family function. I got stuck in the flood. There is nothing but hype and chaos, and no one is really caring for the victims. Some people come, look around, and leave, but no real help is provided. We have been suffering without water and food," said Sadiq from Bangalore.

Left With Just the Clothes on Our Backs

"For two days, we saw hell. We came out of the flood with just the clothes on our backs. No boats are reaching Rajarajeswaripeta. Everyone inside is crying out for help. Everything in our house has been washed away. We don’t know what our future holds. The government says they have set up rehabilitation centers, but who will take us there?" asked Dhanalakshmi and Durgaprasad from Rajarajeswaripeta.