RAINS IN AP: WORRIED FATHER WADES THROUGH DEEP WATERS AND GETS HIS DAUGHTER TO A HOSPITAL

With heavy rains lashing out at various parts of the state of Andhra Pradesh, there have been many cases of extreme difficulties being faced by the people. One such instance is when a man from Kudumsare village in Chintapalli Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, carried his six-month-old daughter across deep water and walked for five kilometres to the nearest health centre because of rain that lashed various parts of the state.

Pangi Sattibabu, a 30-year-old resident of Kumudsare, was worried as his daughter’s fever had not subsided over the past few days. Despite all the warnings and risks, Sattibabu waded through deep waters and carried his daughter as all the roads connecting his village to other parts of the village were flooded due to heavy rains. The child is said to be out of danger.

“The villagers suffer from health care and education as 30 to 40 percent of the villages in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam do not have road connectivity. The situation is worse in tribal areas.” says a social activist Srinivas Ganjivarupu.

Even though the Visakhapatnam District has a population of 42,88,113, the Agency area consist of 17 mandals and constitute 2,400 tribal villages, as per the 2011 Census. According to the protocol, there should be one Primary Health Center for every 30,000 people. The Agency area located in the Eastern Ghats is a home to many tribal communities and 90% of the population in the area belongs to tribal people including vulnerable groups. There is a dire need of roads before the State constructs an elementary school or a healthcare centre.