ANANTAPUR: Five villages in Nambulapulakunta mandal remained cut off from the rest of Anantapur district for the eighth day due to inundation from incessant rains and floodwater overflowing on the roads. People there are risking their lives to take the sick and injured to hospitals, and even to restock essential supplies.
Apart from receiving more than 24 cm of rainfall a couple of days ago, which was the highest in the State on the day, Nambulapulakunta also experienced a few spells of extreme rainfall in the past couple of weeks.
Heavy rains resulted in flash floods to several streams and canals in the mandal, which borders Chittoor and Kadapa districts. Velichelamala, Eguvavaripalle, SK Tanda, Kammalollaburuju and Balijapalle villages were the most affected.
With culverts connecting SK Tanda and Eguvavaripalle washed away in the flash floods and roads still inundated, people of these two villages were unable to step out of their village even on Sunday. The three villages altogether have a population of around 1,100, 500 of which is in Velichelamala alone.
“Velichelamala, SK Tanda and Eguvavaripalle are disconnected from the rest of the district for the past eight days. Only 10 days ago were the roads and nalas repaired. But the rains washed away all our efforts. We are left with no option but to risk our lives and cross the flooded streams to get essentials and drinking water or even go to hospitals,” Eswar Naik, sarpanch of Velichelamala, told TNIE.
Balijapalle and Kammalolla Buruju, home to around 800 people, are also inundated as floodwater from upstream entered the village. With Veligallu Dam Reservoir brimming with water and the Papagni River in spate, the locals there have nowhere else to go.