VIJAYAWADA: The high alert remains in place across Andhra Pradesh as the deep depression made landfall near Kalingapatnam, bringing torrential downpours in several coastal districts, and raising the threat of flash floods in low-lying and riverine habitations.
Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, the Godavari belt, and the erstwhile undivided Krishna and Guntur districts bore the brunt of the deluge, with local administrations rushing to set up relief camps, and clear waterlogged transit routes. Educational institutions remained closed as a precautionary measure.
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain stated that the deep depression moved northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph over six hours, and lay centered over South Odisha and adjoining North Coastal AP at 4 pm on Thursday.
Positioned approximately 60 km from Parvathipuram in Andhra Pradesh, 90 km from Bhawanipatna in Odisha, and near Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, the system is expected to weaken into a depression by Thursday night, and reduce further to a well-marked low-pressure area over the subsequent 24 hours. The Doppler Weather Radar in Vizag maintains continuous surveillance over the system, he said.
8 SDRF, 5 NDRF teams deployed in high-risk dists
For Friday, APSDMA has forecast light to moderate rainfall across North Andhra, Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru districts, alongside scattered light showers in Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Kurnool, Nandyal, Annamayya, Chittoor and Tirupati.
To handle potential flash floods and emergency extractions, APSDMA has deployed eight SDRF and five NDRF teams across high-risk districts, including Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, BR Ambedkar Konaseema, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Polavaram.
By 7 pm on Thursday, heavy rainfall figures recorded across the State included 108.2 mm at Chilakalapalle in Manyam district, 103 mm in Rajamahendravaram, 101 mm at Makkuva, 99.2 mm at Gadala, 92 mm at Tallapudi, 87.2 mm in Parvathipuram, 75.2 mm at Seethanagaram, 71.5 mm in Kakinada Urban, 70.5 mm at Jaggampeta, and 69.9 mm at Bobbili.
In Srikakulam, District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar informed that heavy rainfall in upper catchment areas of Odisha’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts is sending heavy inflows into the Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers, with the Bahuda receiving 23,000 cusecs, and the Nagavali expecting 25,000 cusecs against a danger mark of 45,000 cusecs.
Authorities have established 86 relief centres housing 221 residents, shifted 42 pregnant women nearing delivery to hospitals, and impounded 1 TMC of floodwater in the Hiramandalam reservoir. In neighbouring Parvathipuram Manyam, heavy downpours caused 18 irrigation tanks to swell, and triggered breaches in three tanks in Balijipeta mandal, including two in Galavalli and one in Gangada.
A major breach in the Tamara Cheruvu embankment washed away a section of the blacktopped road between Galavalli and Chinna Galavalli, snapping connectivity to four villages, and inundating hundreds of acres of standing paddy crop.
A significant flood threat is also building over the Godavari delta as an estimated 4 lakh cusecs of floodwater from the Sabari river, and upper catchments is expected to reach the Godavari within 48 hours. In Rampachodavaram division, Collector K Dinesh Kumar ordered strict vigilance across 22 low-lying villages, identifying 17 relief centres and placing rescue boats and medical staff on standby for VR Puram and Kunavaram mandals.
In Rajamahendravaram, Municipal Commissioner Rahul Meena inspected waterlogged stretches across Railway Station Road and Aryapuram, setting up a 24x7 control room, while West Godavari Collector C Nagarani set up divisional control rooms at Bhimavaram, Narasapuram and Tadepalligudem.
In Kakinada, District Collector MN Harendhira Prasad reviewed field conditions with tahsildars as the Yeleru reservoir level reached 78 feet, while Kakinada Municipal Commissioner NVV Satyanarayana set up 12 rehabilitation centres.
Ministers held emergency reviews to coordinate rescue and restoration operations across key infrastructure sectors. Roads & Buildings Minister BC Janardan Reddy reported that 690 km of R&B roads have suffered rain damage across the State, with preliminary restoration costs estimated at Rs 402.18 crore, and 614 vulnerable spots identified for continuous clearing.