Flood-hit tribal village in Andhra's ASR district loses new mother as streams block route to health centre

A woman in a tribal village in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharama Raju district died on Friday, a day after giving birth to a boy, after floodwaters cut her village off from the nearest health facility.

Lavanya, a resident of Gangavaram village in Darakonda panchayat under G.K. Veedhi mandal, went into labour on Thursday night and delivered a baby boy. Her condition deteriorated soon after, and she fell unconscious.

Villagers attempted to carry her to the Darakonda Primary Health Centre, roughly 6 km away by the Narsipatnam-Chintapalli-Sileru road in normal conditions, but could not proceed. Several streams along the route were in spate following heavy rain, and a bridge linking the village to the plains had been washed away, leaving Gangavaram isolated. Alternative routes were explored, but no vehicles could be arranged amid continuing rain and damaged roads.

Lavanya died on Friday. The newborn boy is reported to be safe.

The rain arrived with a deep depression that crossed the north Andhra coast on Thursday night.

District authorities had issued advance instructions as the weather system approached. On Wednesday, Joint Collector T. Sripooja asked officials across the Agency mandals to identify places where streams and seasonal waterways were likely to overflow, set up control rooms in every mandal, and keep the district control room updated on road connectivity and essential services. Roads in G.K. Veedhi mandal had already been damaged or washed away by that day.

In the neighbouring Parvathipuram Manyam district, the Collector on Friday ordered that about 158 pregnant women in flood-hit tribal areas be moved to hospitals and health centres.