Sat Sep 07 03:51:40 UTC 2024: ## Army Steps in to Control Flooding in Vijayawada After Budameru River Breach
**Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh:** The Indian Army has been deployed in Vijayawada to assist in flood relief efforts after the Budameru river breached, causing widespread flooding in the city. The army has been tasked with plugging the breach and controlling the flooding.
The Budameru river, which flows through Vijayawada, breached at three locations, causing significant damage. While the first two breaches, each around 10 meters wide, were successfully plugged by the civilian administration, the third breach, spanning over 100 meters, has proved more challenging.
Army engineers have deployed two layers of Gabion Baskets, filled with stones, to stop the third breach. These baskets are being stacked to create a four-meter-high wall, known as rock armouring, to withstand the high pressure of water.
The army is also using Hesco Bastions, a modern type of gabion fortification, to control the floodwater. 16,000 sandbags have been collected, with 1,800 already filled and ready for deployment.
Troops from the Madras Regiment and the Army Medical Corps are actively involved in the relief operations, providing medical assistance to over 200 people in inundated areas.
The Army Column Commander is coordinating with the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) to establish an administrative base camp for streamlining relief efforts.
The death toll due to the floods has reached 33, and over 46,000 flood-affected people are currently residing in 226 relief camps. 50 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are continuing rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu conducted an aerial survey of the flooded regions yesterday.
The Meteorological Department has warned of a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to intensify into a depression near the coasts of West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh around September 9th.
First Piper 