2 dead as rains wreak havoc in Andhra Pradesh, Krishna river expected to swell
GUNTUR: Incessant rains caused by a weather system in the Bay of Bengal killed two persons and swamped agriculture fields in Guntur, Prakasam, Anantapur, Kurnool and Nellore districts in Andhra Pradesh.
The victims, both women, were washed away in the Yedduvagu stream, which swelled suddenly following heavy rain. Traffic was stopped on the Macharla-Sattenapalli-Piduguralla and Macharla-Guntur roads due to overflowing streams and ponds.
The highest rainfall, 29 cm, was recorded in Macharla in Guntur district followed by Udayagiri in Nellore district, 21 cm, Rentachintala in Guntur district, 15 cm, Bapatla, 11 cm, and Yerragondapalem and Karamchedu, 10 cm.
Cotton and chilli crops were damaged in Palnadu area in Guntur district, officials said.
About 75,000 cusecs of water was released from the Pulichintala project where all the were lifted. The villages in the vicinity of the project are still underwater due to the release of water from upstream dams.
Power generation was stopped at the Nagarjunasagar dam where the water inflow was reported at 15,000 cusecs and outflow was reported at 32,000 cusecs. Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool districts in Rayalaseema also witnessed heavy rain.
The AP-Karnataka highway at Marlakimidi village in Holagunda mandal in Kurnool district was blocked by the overflowing Vedavathi river.
The RTC depot in Badvel in Kadapa district was submerged by five feet of rain water. Traffic was halted on the road from Rajupalem to Ayyavaripalem.
Four tanks were breached in Anantapur district causing crop damage in Bommanhal and Brahmasamduram mandals. The highest rainfall of 15 cm was reported in Shettur in Ananatapur district.
In Prakasam, the local Mani Vagu and Dudduluru Vagu breached their boundaries and were flowing on the Inkollu-Ongole and Addanki-China Kothapalli highways.
There was, however, some good news. Joint director of agriculture, Dr J. Murali Krishna, said, “This rain is very good for Bengal gram, cotton and tobacco crops.”
The overflowing Kundu river at Rajoli in Chagalamarri mandal in Kurnool district on Sunday.
Meanwhile Pulichintala reservoir gates lifted, floodwater to recede
Revenue and police officials are trying to shift people from Kolluru, Gollapeta, Pulichintala, Chitayala, Bodhanam and Chityala Tanda villages with the water level in the Pulichintala reservoir in Guntur district reaching 10.70 thousand million cubic feet in on Sunday.
The Pulichintala project engineers said that all gates were lifted and water was released to the Prakasam Barrage as a result, the floodwater in those villages would recede.
Transportation to Daida, Telikutla, Gottimukkala, Polipalli, Jammalamadaka and other villages was also disrupted due to the overflowing of Dandi Vagu and Goli Vagu streams.
