Continuous rain lashed Visakhapatnam and its outskirts from Saturday night, causing significant waterlogging and disrupting normal life in various parts on Sunday, September 8.
According to the AP State Development Planning Society website, many areas, including Pendurthi, Anandapuram, Pedagantyada, Arilova, Bheemunipatnam, Maharanipeta, Seethammadhara, and Gajuwaka, were drenched on Sunday after receiving around 50 mm of rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The Collectors of Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli districts have declared a school holiday on Monday.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, a few old boundary walls collapsed at the Kancharapalem and CBM compound areas, damaging electric poles and several vehicles parked there, creating panic among the locals.
Canals overflowed at HB Colony, Isukathota, Akkayyapalem, and a few other areas in the city. The overflow of the Erragedda drain at Gnanapuram was alarming.
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation authorities deployed additional earthmovers to clear the debris and prevent the drains from overflowing.
In some areas, like Jalaripeta and Beach Road, manholes overflowed. Sanitation staff, led by Sanitation Inspectors, cleared debris from the drains at many places.
The railway bridge at Gnanapuram was closed following waterlogging. Boulders fell on the road in the Kailasapuram, Malkapuram, and Hanumanthawaka areas due to the rains.
Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari inspected several areas and inquired about the measures being taken after the rains.
GVMC Commissioner P. Sampath Kumar, who was engaged in relief operations at Vijayawada, spoke with the GVMC staff. He asked them to shift the locals residing in hillock regions and low-lying areas to rehabilitation centres without waiting till the last minute.
According to the GVMC authorities, 81 low-lying areas were identified in the city, and officials were deployed to monitor the situation.
Tension prevailed after a minor landslide at Ramakrishna Nagar, a hillock area in Gopalapatnam. A few houses were seen on the verge of collapse, so GVMC authorities and the city police rushed to the spot and asked the residents to vacate the houses immediately. Visakhapatnam West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu, alias Ganababu, monitored the relief operations.
The district administration has immediately set up control rooms at the district collector office and 11 Tahsildar offices. GVMC’s Command Operations Centre (COC) started a control room with staff around the clock. The toll-free number was 180042500009.
ASR district
All the places in the ASR district have also been experiencing heavy rains since Saturday night. By Sunday morning, Araku recorded over 30 mm of rainfall. Munchingputtu, Pedabayalyu, Dumbriguda, Araku Valley, Ananthagiri, Hukumpeta, and Paderu have reported incessant rain.
With water streams overflowing under Paderu limits, Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) project officer V. Abhishek had urged the tribals not to come out until there was an emergency.
Between 8.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Munchingputtu recorded 72.6 mm rainfall, while Pedabayalu, Dumbriguda, Araku, Ananthagiri, Hukumpeta, Paderu recorded 30 mm to 50 mm rainfall.
Several bridge culverts in GK Veedhi, Munchingputtu, and Pedabayalu were washed away, or water flowed over them, disconnecting many hamlets from the mandal headquarters. Streams overflowed in Lakkavaram and Erragonda villages in Chinthapalli mandal. The officials shifted the locals to safer places.
Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed several parts of Anakapalli district: K. Kotapadu, Devarapalli, Ravikamatham, Parawada, and a few other areas recorded around 50 mm of rainfall.
Published - September 08, 2024 10:58 pm IST
