HYDERABAD: Heavy rains continued to lash both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the second day running on Sunday, raising fears of floods in some parts of the two States. The Godavari and Krishna rivers besides canals and streams in various parts of AP were in spate, throwing normal life out of gear.
Ichhapuram in Srikakulam district received the highest rainfall of 20 cm followed by 12 cm in Sompeta, 11 cm in Kalingapatnam, 9 cm each in Palasa and Cheepurupalli. As water level of the Godavari at Bhadrachalam has been steadily rising creating panic among people living in low-lying areas, flood gates of the Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dhowleswaram in East Godavari district were opened to let out flood water into the sea.
Gates of the Prakasam barrage across the river Krishna in Vijayawada were also lifted as the water level reached 12 ft. As the inflows from rivulets like Munneru increased, about 23 gates were lifted by Sunday night. Roads and bridges were damaged at several places in Andhra and Telangana.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of as many as 150 fishermen, belonging to East Godavari district, are still not clear. They had gone to the sea on Saturday despite bad weather. The State government began rescue operations by deploying two helicopters and Coast Guard ships.
AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the impact of heavy rains in Vijayawada and ordered officials to be alert as there is a likelihood of flooding. He also directed officials to take all precautionary steps at Rajahmundry where the Godavari Pushkarams would be held soon. Almost the same scenes were witnessed in Telangana too as it rained for most of the day in all the 10 districts.
Shayampet and Yeturu Nagaram received the maximum rainfall of 18 cm each, Parakala and Guduru 17 cm each, Venkaapuram 16 cm and Mahbubabad 13 cm. Khammam and Adilabad districts were the worst-hit in Telangana with rivulets flooding roads and low-lying areas and cutting off road connectivity to dozens of villages. Rain battered Hyderabad too, throwing traffic out of gear.
As the depression crossed South Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Puri and lay centred near Phulbani, the Met department has predicted heavy rains in the next 24 hours in both the States.
“The depression will move northwest and weaken gradually into a well-marked low pressure area, causing heavy rains even on Monday,” the Met Department said.
Rescue ops on to save 150 fishermen
The whereabouts of as many as 150 fishermen, belonging to East Godavari district, are still not clear. They had gone to the sea on Saturday despite bad weather. The State government began rescue operations by deploying two helicopters and Coast Guard ships.
