VIJAYAWADA: Widespread heavy rains in the state on Thursday threw normal life out of gear at several places. Two persons drowned and one person washed away in the rain-related incidents in Chittoor district. A 23-year-old youth identified as Ganesh Gounder native of Mittoorupalem fell into Bahuda river while he was returning from his sister’s house on Wednesday late night. His body was found on Thursday.
In another incident, Abdul Rehman of Nulukuntavaripalli in Kuppam mandal drowned after he accidentally fell in a check dam on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. At Chelimchenu waterfall in Ramakuppam mandal of Chittoor district, a 24-year-old youth from a village located on AP-TN border, fell in the stream, when the bund he was walking on gave away all of a sudden. He along with seven others from his village came to Chelimcheu to watch the waterfall, which is in full glory following rains for past few days. Though efforts were made to save him, he got washed away in the stream. Search is on to locate the missing person.
Meanwhile, 10 tanks in Chittoor district including Gandla Kothur, a major tank in the district, got breached. Irrigation department officials are making efforts to plug them at the earliest. The district has been receiving moderate to heavy rains for past four days. For the first time in last twenty years, Bahudha river in the district is in spate and in NTR reservoir, water levels crossed 4 feet mark. Thirty villages in the district lost road connectivity with other parts of the district following breaches in the tanks.
On the other hand, with rains in the upper catchment area, water bodies including rivers and tanks in Kadapa district are swelling up. Papagni river, which remained dry for the last three years, now has full of water. Farmers in the district are a happy lot, as it had raised their hopes again.
In Kurnool district, though rains have lessened, tanks and other water bodies continue to overflow. In Kanakadaripalle, vehicular traffic was interrupted for an hour on Banaganapalle - Tadipatri road following water from streams overflowing on the roads.East Godavari district and parts of West Godavari saw moderate to heavy rainfall since Wednesday. Several low-lying areas in Rajamahendravaram got inundated. Drainage system went for a toss. Though rains were cheered by the farmers in Rayalaseema, farmers of East Godavari are worried, as the water getting stagnant in the fields will harm the paddy crop. “The cyclonic circulation over TS and neighbourhood extending up to 1.5 km above mean sea level persists. Thunderstorm associated with heavy rain likely to occur at isolated places in Coastal AP and Rayalaseema in the next 24 hours,” said an IMD official.