Study finds Hudhud further worsened the situation
Local people try to rescue students from the ill-fated bus of the Vidya Vikas School on Friday. (File pic)
Visakhapatnam: Even as the city has been emerging as a huge urban conglomeration and also a hub for industrial units, the changing scenario indicates need for various measures to be taken for mitigating natural and manmade calamities.
A study conducted by a researcher of Andhra University found that wind direction, shoreline changes and drastic decrease in vegetation levels were found to be potential threats for future generations. As part of the study, researcher N. Srinivasa Rajamani observed changes in environmental quality and physical vulnerabilities due to gradual changes from late 70s.
He studied changes in area of water bodies, shoreline, status of vegetation, urban sprawl, and environmental conditions using satellite images keeping in view the potential risks in a sample area of 950 square kilometers in and around Vizag city.
There has been a widespread progress in urban habitations in the city when compared to 1975 till 2010, which found to be in asymmetrical owing to typical topographic conditions like huge water bodies, reserve forest, and hill ranges.
North Andhra districts witnessed catastrophic loss for power sector during Cyclone Hudhud in which 74 towers collapsed, which is first of its kind occurrence in the country, causing severe disturbance to officials for immediate restoration of power supply in the region.
The losses have gradually been coming to light when officials started enumeration of damaged towers, substations and others as part of restoration measures.
Secretary of energy department Ajay Jain said normally it takes 12 to 18 months and still officials have started restoring power on war-footing. He said substations were being tripped due to overload, which was the reason for disturbances.
The Hudhud cyclone had damaged the activities of Indian railways in Kirandole-Kothavalasa line(KK line). The KK line is the main income source to the east coast railway as they are transporting huge quantity of iron ore to Vizag Steel Plant from Bailadilla iron mines in Chhattisgarh.
Railways is earning around Rs 3500 crore oincome through the transportation of iron ore in this route. But due to the heavy rains and gales, huge stones have fallen on the track in this route.
Huge mounds of mud also formed on the line. All these consequences have restricted the railway transportation.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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