Amaravati: Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have stepped up efforts to restore normalcy in areas affected by Cyclone Arnab.
Various departments were active on the ground, focusing on the restoration of power, transport, and communication systems, officials said on Friday.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu conducted a review of the relief and restoration works before heading for a field visit to the affected areas in West Godavari district.
Officials reported progress in the restoration of power, roads, and communication systems. He was informed that power restoration work accelerated with support from other states.
Reviewing relief operations being carried out by various departments at the village level, the Chief Minister instructed officials to maintain their commitment until aid reaches everyone and all issues are fully resolved.
With the Chief Minister personally interacting with field-level staff, the administration has been completing tasks on a war footing.
Within the jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL), power supply has been restored to 4,881 out of the 5,404 villages that experienced outages.
Out of the 552 substations affected within the APEPDCL jurisdiction, 513 have been restored. With about 93 per cent of the restoration work completed, 39 substations remain to be restored.
According to officials, power supply has been fully restored to all affected villages in the Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Kakinada, and Eluru districts.
In the severely affected Konaseema region, power has been restored in 87 out of 316 villages, while in West Godavari, it has been restored in 154 out of 318 villages. Across these two districts, power supply is yet to be restored in 393 villages.
In Krishna district, within the APEPDCL jurisdiction, power has been restored to 867 out of 915 affected villages.
Progress has also been made in the restoration of mobile communication services. Out of 1,045 affected mobile towers belonging to various service providers, 661 have been restored. The restoration of the remaining 384 towers is still pending.
A total of 2,270 trees that had fallen on Roads and Buildings (R&B) department roads have been cleared. In Konaseema district alone, 1,334 trees were removed, clearing the obstructions on the roads.
Traffic was disrupted at 137 locations on R&B roads. Connectivity has now been restored at 119 locations.
Officials said a total of 2,425.45 kilometres of R&B roads were damaged due to the cyclone.
Temporary restoration work has been completed at 100 sites under the Water Resources Department, including 78 affected tanks and 22 canals.
Agricultural crops spanning 352,254 hectares across 16 districts have been inundated. Horticultural crops across 23,211 hectares have been affected.
According to an official note, it is estimated that the state received approximately 380 TMC of water due to rains between October 26 and 29. Flood inflows are still continuing.
Through efficient water management, an additional 4.68 TMC of water has been stored in reservoirs, with the potential for another 5–6 TMC to be added.
(IANS)
