How Chandrababu Naidu Is Tackling Floods, His "Biggest Disaster" Yet

Wading through knee-deep water, taking boats to flood-affected areas and inspecting relief material, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has immersed himself in the task of tackling his government's first major challenge. Two months after the Telugu Desam Party swept the Andhra Assembly polls, the southern state has been hit by devastating floods. Mr Naidu, popularly called 'CEO CM', describes Andhra's flood crisis as the worst in his political career.

The 74-year-old camped at the collectorate in Vijayawada Sunday night and set out the next morning to visit flood-hit areas. Visuals showed him moving in floodwater, either on foot or riding a bulldozer or a boat, as he asked people about their problems and told officials to address them.

State officials are feeling the pressure. "Today, I suspended an officer in Jakkampudi for negligence in his duties. I will take serious action if the Ministers also do not work effectively during this flood situation. I'm very clear that people are my priority, and we must act with humanity," Mr Naidu said. 

The Chief Minister posted a message to the state on X in which he assured that he was personally overseeing rescue and relief efforts.

"My Dear People, I have personally seen and heard the immense plight of #VijayawadaFloods victims. We'll brave these floods and overcome them together. I'm personally monitoring the situation in Vijayawada and overseeing rescue and relief operations," Mr Naidu said in the message. "With help from the Central Government and GoAP's round-the-clock efforts, our relief operations are now accelerated. The floods have caused widespread devastation and upended lives. We're determined to restore life to normalcy as soon as possible, and we're working on a war footing to ensure the same. Your safety and well-being is our top priority. I urge you all to stay strong. We're in this together."

Drones For Food, Choppers For Rescue

In the Andhra government's flood fight, drones have been used widely to transport food and other relief materials to flood-hit areas. Officials are also using them to identify areas where people may be marooned and rush help. Mr Naidu's son and state minister Nara Lokesh said the use of drones to deliver food and other items to those stranded has made relief operations more efficient and quick. The government has said 16 drones have been used to deliver 10,000 food packets so far.

Mr Naidu has also arranged six Air Force choppers and 150 boats to rescue people from areas cut off due to the floods. KT Rama Rao, the leader of the Opposition BRS in Telangana, questioned why Mr Naidu's counterpart Revanth Reddy could not arrange helicopters for flood relief in the adjoining state.

Push To Centre For More Funds

Mr Naidu, whose party props up the BJP at the Centre, has also sought a substantial package for Andhra Pradesh to tackle the calamity.

"In my career, this is the biggest disaster... we had some events like Hudhud hurricane and Titli cyclone but compared to these, here the human suffering and property loss is the biggest," he said yesterday.

The TDP chief said he would request the central government to declare the flood in Andhra Pradesh a national calamity.

The TDP is the second-largest partner in the ruling NDA at the Centre.

Floods "Man-Made Disaster": Jagan Reddy

Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose party YSRCP was ousted in the recent state polls, has blamed the TDP government for floods in the state and has termed the calamity a "man-made disaster". The YSRCP leader also visited flood-hit areas in Vijayawada and spoke to local residents.

Mr Reddy claimed that the weather department issued an extreme rainfall alert for several districts on August 28, but the state government ignored it. Accusing the state government of apathy, he claimed, "Many people marooned in the floods have not been evacuated and the government forced them to starve without food and water for the last two days."

Mr Reddy also alleged that the state government diverted water from Budameru rivulet to save Mr Naidu's house, leading to flooding in several areas. The Chief Minister responded that the remarks show Mr Reddy's "ignorance". Mr Naidu has said it was the previous YSRCP government's failure to plug a breach that led to this disaster.