Vijayawada: August 31, 2025 marks one year since the catastrophic Budameru floods, when floodwaters from the swollen Budameru rivulet engulfed several localities along its banks. The flooding affected residents in nearly 32 out of 64 municipal wards, inundating almost half of Vijayawada city’s population for nearly 10 days.Torrential rains in the catchment areas on the eve of the floods caused approximately 60,000 cusecs of water to flow into the Budameru—far exceeding its estimated flood cushion of 10,000 to 15,000 cusecs. The resulting deluge submerged RR Peta, Old RR Peta, Jakkampudi YSR Colony, Ajith Singh Nagar, Devi Nagar, Vambay Colony, and many other localities, leaving residents without basic needs like food and drinking water for days.Even a year later, people living along the Budameru continue to live in fear of another disaster, stating that the government has done little to prevent a recurrence of last year’s once-in-a-lifetime calamity.Operation Budameru: In the aftermath of the floods, the state government launched ‘Operation Budameru’ to identify the extent of encroachments on the rivulet. While the operation identified 3,065 illegal concrete structures and over 360 acres of encroached land across 40 villages in the former Krishna district, no significant evictions have taken place over the past year.Unkept promises: Following last year’s floods, the government proposed constructing retaining walls along the Budameru and expanding the Budameru Diversion Channel (BDC) at Velagaleru Head Regulator from the current 15,000 cusecs to 35,000 cusecs. However, only about 350 metres of retaining wall were built in Kondapalli—where multiple breaches occurred last year—while another 180-metre stretch remains incomplete.“The government must either construct flood protection walls across the Budameru rivulet or develop an entirely new flood-carrying channel parallel to the existing one to permanently prevent floods and protect Vijayawada and its residents. The government made tall promises, but they stand short on delivery,” said CPM leader Ch Babu Rao.
