Rayalacheruvu Bund Breach Floods Five Villages In Tirupati District
Hundreds of acres of paddy, chilli, tomato and other crops were destroyed as the tank, which had been full until Wednesday night, emptied by early morning. Farmers said they had earlier alerted officials about the deteriorating condition of the bund, but no preventive repairs were undertaken.
TIRUPATI: A breach in the Olluru Rayalacheruvu bund in K.V.B. Puram mandal of the Satyavedu constituency caused floodwater to gush into nearby villages on Thursday. Continuous rainfall had raised the tank’s water level, and the weakened bund eventually gave way, inundating Pudi, Patapalem, Kalatturu, Rajulakandriga and Arundhatiwada. Streets, houses, and farmlands were submerged, leaving residents distressed.
Hundreds of acres of paddy, chilli, tomato and other crops were destroyed as the tank, which had been full until Wednesday night, emptied by early morning. Farmers said they had earlier alerted officials about the deteriorating condition of the bund, but no preventive repairs were undertaken. They demanded compensation for their agricultural losses.
In Kalatturu, several homes were flooded. Household articles, food grains, clothing, and livestock were washed away, forcing some families to seek refuge on rooftops. The breach also triggered a surge in the Kalangi river, prompting officials to open three gates of the Kalangi reservoir as a precautionary measure. Farmers depending on tank water for irrigation expressed disappointment at the losses.
Police teams from K.V.B. Puram, Satyavedu, and Pichatur evacuated families from low-lying areas. Tirupati District SP L. Subbarayudu said timely evacuation prevented any casualties. He urged residents to stay vigilant and contact Dial 112 for emergencies.
District collector Dr S. Venkateswar, accompanied by MLA Koneti Adimulam, RDO Bhanu Prakash Reddy, and other officials, inspected the affected villages. The collector said that compensation would be provided for livestock losses and damaged houses under housing schemes. He directed officials to establish relief camps with food, drinking water, medical care, and sanitation facilities.
With continuous inflows, engineers at the Krishnapuram reservoir prepared to release water through the gates on Thursday night. Assistant Executive Engineer P.S. Bhaskar Rajeev advised people to stay away from the Kushasthali river.
Tirupati MP Dr Maddila Gurumurthy, monitoring the situation from New Delhi, announced `20 lakh from his MP funds for immediate relief and urged the state government to sanction `5 lakh compensation per affected family.
