TIRUPATI/NELLORE/KADAPA:Torrential rains continued to play havoc in Nellore and some parts of Chittoor and Kadapa districts for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday.
Heavy rains continued to lash Nellore district creating interruption to ongoing relief operations. Train services and road transportation was badly affected with floodwater overflowing railway tracks and national highways at several places in Nellore district where thousands of passengers were stranded on highways and railway stations.
As many as 10,000 lorry drivers and other crew were stranded on the national highway between Tada-Kavali in Nellore district, facing hardship due to lack of food.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu made an aerial survey of rain-affected Chittoor and Nellore districts on Wednesday and surveyed the rain havoc in the three districts.
Meanwhile, water level in the Somasila reservoir reached about 50 TMC against its capacity of 78 TMC due to heavy inflows.
The Nellore district administration established 61 relief camps in the flood-affected areas and to oversee the relief operations three senior IAS officers -- M Ravichandra, G Anantaramu and A Giridhar -- were deputed for Gudur, Naidupet and Atmakur divisions respectively.
As many as 500 tanks breached as rivers including Pennar, Kayvalya, Swarna Mukhi, Kalangi and streams like Munneruvagu, Pamula Kaluva, Chippaleru Vagu, Sydapuram Pedda Chevuru and Kavali Kaluva are in spate, forcing administration to suspend rescue operations in the villages which are marooned in the flood water.
However, the administration is able to supply 10,000 food and water packets through trains. The railways after putting in hectic efforts was able to run some trains, while the APSRTC was plying 30 percent services to the areas like Atmakuru, Udayagiri, Marripadu, Seetharampuram and other areas where buses could reach.
In Kadapa district, intensity of rains decreased and the road transportation between Tirupati-Kadapa was restored on Wednesday. The inflows into rivulets and tanks came down as light showers continued on the fourth day. District incharge minister G Srinivasa Rao reviewed the flood situation with officials in Kadapa.
According to the district agriculture and horticulture officials’ preliminary estimate about Rs 29 crore worth of crop loss occured in the district. About 234 irrigation tanks filled up due to inflow of rain water. Banana, tomato, onion, turmeric, mango, papaya and other commercial crops were destroyed in Railway Kodur and Rajampet constituencies in the district. The horticulture farms at Pendlimerry, Chintakommadinne, Siddhavatam, Khajipet mandals were also destroyed by the torrential rain.
Meanwhile, as the heavy rain continued in the hill shrine of Tirumala all the reservoirs and dams are brimming with heavy inflows. Tirumala town has recorded a surplus rainfall this year and the town so far registered 1649 mm of rainfall. This is an excess by 285mm. Tirumala has five drinking water projects to meet the needs of the pilgrims -- Kumaradhara, Pasupudhara, Papavinasanam, Gogarbham dam and Akasaganga Dam.