Budameru Floods: Lingering Trauma and Unhealed Wounds

Speedy summary

• On August 31, 2024, Vijayawada experienced devastating floods after receiving over 180mm of rainfall in one day (17% of its annual share). The swollen Budameru rivulet inundated large parts of the city.
• Floods lead too meaningful human loss: official figures reported 32 fatalities across NTR, Guntur, and Palnadu districts; residents claim more deaths followed due to infections and post-flood illnesses. Over 2.7 lakh people were directly or indirectly affected.
• Economic damages impacted vulnerable families severely, with losses including cash savings, essential goods, personal jewelry items, and healthcare expenses for pre-existing health conditions worsening due to stress or typhoid infections. Compensation promised by the government was partially delivered to some victims but not universally received.
• Historically prone to flooding from both Krishna River and Budameru Rivulet since early 1900s-official reports underline repeated breaches near drainage systems as unresolved urban bottlenecks coupled w regular political promises destabilizing larger expected infrastructure courses amid network politics etc agrícolas termed recurring bureaucrats-shot delays occurring no station deep Handel hadn’t matured