VIJAYAWADA: Untimely heavy rains accompanied by gale winds lashed multiple regions of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday. While the showers brought much-needed relief from the scorching heat, they also caused severe damage to crops and disrupted normal life, as several trees were uprooted, resulting in power outages.
The sudden downpour, which lasted for at least three hours, inundated several low-lying areas in Vijayawada, Machilipatnam, Guntur, and Eluru.
In Vijayawada, the intense downpour led to widespread chaos. Major thoroughfares such as Eluru Road and Besant Road were flooded, triggering severe traffic snarls at key junctions like Benz Circle. Low-lying areas were submerged, making it particularly challenging for two-wheeler riders to navigate the waterlogged streets.
Municipal officials immediately swung into action, clearing tree debris to bring the situation under control. Damaged electricity poles and snapped power lines caused outages in parts of Vijayawada, Tadepalli, and Guntur. Electricity department personnel worked swiftly to restore power by carrying out necessary repairs.
In rural areas, farmers suffered heavy losses as strong winds damaged crops, and some fields were submerged in rainwater.
Agriculture department officials are currently assessing crop losses across the three districts. Other districts such as West Godavari, Prakasam, and Tirupati also faced similar disruptions. The sudden deluge threw normal routines into disarray across the state.
In Nellore district, two people lost their lives in separate lightning strike incidents in Naidupeta and Ozili mandals. In Ozili mandal, a boy named Karthik was struck by lightning and died while he was in a mango orchard near Gollapalem village. In a separate incident in Naidupeta mandal, a farmer named Alam Bhaskar was fatally struck by lightning while working in his agricultural fields near Vadigunta Kandriga village.
Rainwater led to waterlogging and traffic disruptions in Rajamahendravaram, while strong winds uprooted trees in multiple locations in Eluru district.
Eluru Collector K Vetri Selvi said revenue and electricity department staff were deployed to remove uprooted trees in Dwaraka Tirumala and other areas. Joint Collector P Dhatri Reddy visited Kovvali village in Denduluru mandal and assured farmers not to panic.
Collectors and SPs directed to mitigate rain loss
She directed them to transport paddy to mills immediately and instructed farmers’ service centres to supply tarpaulins and gunny bags to protect the paddy from further rain damage.
East Godavari Collector P Prasanti alerted officials and riverside village secretaries to monitor conditions. She said that so far 2.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy had been procured through 216 farmers’ service centers in the district. She also instructed officials to install notice boards warning the public against entering bathing ghats.
In Prakasam district, rainfall was reported in Chimakurthy, Racharla, Komarolu, Pullalacheruvu, C S Puram, and Tallur mandals. Tragically, two bulls were killed by lightning in Kothapalem of old Chirala.
Tirupati, which recorded around 37°C, witnessed rain and gusty winds. Residents experienced a sigh of relief from the scorching weather and rising mercury levels that had persisted since Sunday morning.
The cool weather in the afternoon brought cheer to the denizens of the city. Due to the unexpected rainfall, drain water overflowed onto roads in several areas, including Madhura Nagar, Tilak Road, and MR Palli, Balaji Colony, Kapila Theertham Road and G Car Street. The cool weather continued in Tirupati throughout the evening, providing much-needed respite from the heat.
Following the unexpected rains, the State Government issued an alert and initiated emergency response measures. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha held discussions with APSDMA director Ronanki Kurmanath and collectors from affected districts to assess the situation and review the weather forecast. Anitha directed collectors and SPs to take all necessary steps to mitigate the impact of the rains and protect crops from further damage.