37,409 Families Affected In Rains, Relief Intensified: GHMC

GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar today said that despite continuing rains and water-logging in several areas in the city, the corporation had intensified relief operations and was taking steps to bring back normalcy to the inundated areas.

"A total of 37,409 families have been affected. A CM's Relief Ration Kit plus with 3 blankets, worth Rs 2,800 in all, is being given to each affected family. Till now 20,000 kits have been distributed, and the remaining will be distributed by the 19th," Kumar said.

90,000 packed lunches and 60,000 packed dinners were also being distributed to the affected people for free each day, he said. Milk, bread and biscuits were also being distributed, he added.

The Commissioner also said that all GHMC officials including GHMC Zonal Commissioners, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners were in the field and monitoring the relief operations and distribution of the CM's Relief Ration Kits to the affected people.

He also said that the administration was alerting the officials including the field staff, and the citizens, about the situation regularly. Since more rains were expected in the next couple of days as per the weather report, as a precautionary measure the GHMC was evacuating the citizens of the low-lying areas, he said.

Inundation was a serious problem, and the engineering wing and the DRF teams were pumping out water from the various flooded apartment cellars and inundated colonies on a war footing, Kumar claimed. From the DRF side 72 teams with 106 water pumps, and from the engineering maintenance side 170 monsoon teams with 202 water pumps, were engaged in these activities, he said.

In order to contain water-borne and vector-borne diseases, the entomology and the DRF teams were taking up activities including anti-larval operations, and spraying of bleaching power and sodium hypochlorite chemicals in the cellars and inundated areas, Kumar said.

A special drive was being conducted to remove the debris, C&D waste and household waste accumulated in the nalas and on the roads, he added.

Minister K T Rama Rao, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar were administering the overall operations, Kumar said.