TIRUPATI: Several parts of Chittoor district, especially Varadaiahpalem and Satyavedu mandal, Tirupati and its adjoining areas received heavy rains since Saturday evening even as India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of more rains in the coming days.
As many as 65 of 67 mandals received normal to excess rainfall, leaving the low-lying areas in the district waterlogged and disrupting normal life. Heavy overnight downpour in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, which damaged roads, led to a dip in temperatures.
According to the district administration, in the last 24 hours up to Sunday night, heavy to very heavy rains occurred over mandals on the eastern side of the district. Varadaiahpalem and Satyavedu recorded 145.4 mm and 104.6 mm rainfall, respectively. Satyavedu registered 98.4 mm; K.V.B. Puram 75.8 mm; Yerpedu 65.2 mm; Renigunta 64.2 mm and Tirupati 60.6 mm.
Weatherman Sai Praneeth B tweeted "Very heavy downpour happened in Nellore district in the last 24 hours. East Chittoor and also south Kadapa got good rainfall. This will increase the flood situation in villages”; Convergence belt is perfectly falling on Nellore and Chittoor. We can expect severe non-stop downpours today and more rains tonight”.
According to him, Tirumala recorded a high of 165 mm rainfall in just two hours on Sunday morning, During the same period, Satyavedu recorded 135 mm rainfall, followed by BN Kandriga 114 mm, Tirupati 73 mm, Srikalahasti 67 mm, Thottambedu 65 mm, Yerpedu 63, Renigunta 63 mm, Chandragiri 54 mm and Nagari 52.
The continuous heavy downpour paralyzed life, including farmers, street-vendors and other small businesses. Crop damage was reported at some mandals, while many houses in villages across the eastern mandals were inundated.
All the reservoirs and water bodies in the district are brimming. The irrigation department has been put on alert by the district administration and they have been instructed to open gates of reservoirs to release excess flood water. Around 600 cusecs of water was released from Araniar reservoir on Sunday.
