Vijayawada: Monsoon Response Teams (MRTs), deployed by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), have brought slight relief to citizens facing persistent waterlogging during seasonal rains. Positioned in flood-prone areas, these teams work in real time to clear stagnant rainwater from city roads bearing the brunt of the monsoon.Following instructions from VMC chief HM Dhyanachandra, makeshift summer drinking water kiosks have been repurposed as control centres for MRT personnel, enabling rapid response to rain-induced disruptions.Control rooms have been established near Benz Circle, Nirmala Convent Road, Postal Colony Road, Panta Kaluva Road, APIIC Colony, Ayush Hospital Road, Ramavarappadu Junction, Eluru Road, Gunadala Center, and other low-lying zones vulnerable to flooding.“The MRTs were constituted with eight sanitation and planning secretaries, along with staff from the engineering wing of the municipal corporation. Dedicated teams have been assigned at each identified rainwater stagnation point to take necessary action to prevent rainwater from accumulating on city roads,” a senior VMC official said.The official said the dedicated MRT personnel will be deployed at their pre-assigned locations based on the rain forecast and before the commencement of rainfall. The MRT personnel stationed at the control centres, equipped with requisite machinery to remove accumulated rainwater, take necessary action by assessing the situation at the stagnation points.“Following the instructions of the municipal commissioner, the high-velocity water motors and water suction tankers are being deployed in areas prone to heavy flooding to ensure that the rainwater is immediately drained out within 10 minutes after the receding of the rains,” the official explained.
