VIJAYAWADA: It rained continuously from morning to evening on Monday in Vijayawada, bringing normal life to a grinding halt. Low-lying areas in Vidyadharapuram, Bhavanipuram, Kandrika, Rajiv Nagar, Winchpet, Kotha Pet suffered under the impact of rains. Rainwater stagnated on the roads in Urmila Nagar, Bhavanipuram and Vidyadharapuram. Similar was the case in Suryaraopet, Durgapuram, Moghalrajpuram, Labbipet and Krishna Lanka.
As part of relief measures, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) commissioner V Prasanna Venkatesh instructed the corporation staff to use motors to drain the rainwater from the houses and streets. He also instructed the staff to remove the plastic waste from the drains for free flow of rainwater.
On the other hand, rainwater entered the homes in Kundavari Kandrika, Rajiv Nagar, Ajith Singh Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Ranigarithota and other areas. “Due to silt, rainwater stagnated in the drains and entered our homes. Also there is slow progress of storm water drainage works,” residents of Ajith Singh Nagar rued.
Waterlogged roads on PNBS Junction, Low Bridge Junction at Kaleswara Rao market, railway station road, Benz Circle Junction and Auto Nagar disrupted traffic movement in the city during peak hours. Pedestrians literally had to wade through knee-deep water-filled to commute.
Morning rush hour traffic was affected and the traffic police struggled to keep the vehicles moving; cops were seen standing in knee-deep water in several areas. Office-goers faced inconvenience due to traffic disruptions. “We deployed a team of traffic personnel at all the major junctions to ensure smooth traffic movement during rainy season,” the traffic police said.