VISAKHAPATNAM / SRIKAKULAM: Torrential rain has thrown life out of gear in north Coastal Andhra region even as the low pressure area over the west-central and adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal off north Andhra and south Odisha coasts, now lies over south Chhattisgarh and its neighbourhood.
The steady downpour led to nearly 100 villages being cut off from the rest of the world as road connectivity got damaged due to rivers and rivulets which are in spate.
In Visakhapatnam district, a devotee, Srinivas (40), died when a wall collapsed on him while he was circumambulating the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Bharatnagar, near Arilova Friday.
He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead. The police said that the wall was in a dilapidated condition and collapsed after getting soaked due to the continuous downpour.
Since Thursday night, several parts of north Coastal Andhra region have been experiencing continuous downpour. Heavy rain was witnessed in Cheedikada, Paderu and Nakkapalli areas in Visakhapatnam district, Mentada, Bondapalle, Pachipenta and Poosapatirega in Vizianagaram district, and Palakonda, Sitampeta and Bhamini areas in Srikakulam district.
The rain has also left several rivers and rivulets in spate. Transportation to Pandrangi and surrounding villages in Visakhapatnam district has been cut off as Gosthani river is in spate. Similarly, there is no connectivity to Pachipenta and about 50 other villages in Vizianagaram district as several rivulets have begun to overflow.
Agricultural fields in hundreds of acres were inundated. Officials said that damage assessment would be made only after the water recedes.
Meanwhile, the railways have short-terminated trains on both the Kothavalasa-Koraput-Kirandul railway section and the Koraput-Rayagada railway section, whereas the Visakhapatnam-Koraput-Visakhapatnam Express has been cancelled on Friday and Saturday. Officials said that the services will be restored after repair works.
MORE RAINFALL FORECAST
The low pressure area over the west-central and adjoining north-west Bay of Bengal off north Andhra and south Odisha coast currently lay over the region. Under its influence, rain or thundershowers will occur at most places in the state in the next two days. With monsoon remaining active over Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, several places in these areas are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rain. Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea as strong winds, reaching up to 45-55 km per hour, are likely to prevail along and off the coast. There would be a decrease in rainfall over the next four days.
10 cm Highest rainfall was recorded at Mentada in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh
13 cm was received at Dharpalle of Nizamabad district in Telangana over the last 24 hours