Heavy rains cripple life in Andhra Pradesh, several villages inundated

Vijayawada: Heavy rains crippled normal life in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday with several districts facing the fury of the monsoon.

According to a report in The Hindu, Guntur, Kurnool and Kakinada districts were heavily affected.

In Guntur, Chilakaluripet, Gurazala, Narsaraopet, Piduguralla, Sattenapalli and Tenali towns and their surrounding areas reeled under downpour on Thursday. Vehicular movement between Hyderabad and Guntur has been interrupted due to rain.

Hyderabad-bound Palnadu Express was stopped at Reddygudem village in Rajupalem mandal, said the report. Falaknuma Express was held up at Bellamkonda and the Macherla passenger at Piduguralla.

Read: Hyderabad floods: 16.7 cm rain breaks 16-year-old record

Basavannavagu and Yerravagu streams overflowed inundating the nearby villages, said the report.

In Kurnool, Mahanandi and other towns have received heavy rain for the last 24 hours. Paleruvagu lake near Koilakuntla village overflowed resulting in inundation of several villages.

Traffic on the Nandyal-Ongole Highway was obstructed due to flooding, said the report.

Most parts of the East Godavari district also received rain, resulting in Doleshwaram barrage recording a rise in the water level. 2 lakh cusecs were thus released into the sea.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed Chief Secretary SP Tucker and district collectors to move people in the low-lying areas to safety, and ensure that proper relief measures are implemented to minimise damage and prevent loss of human life.

Thursday's downpour is a continuation of the rainfall situation in the region since the last 48 hours. On Wednesday, rains lashed Hyderabad in Telangana state, leading to flooding in many parts, inundation of low-lying areas, collapse of structures and cancellation of schools and colleges.