Within hours of cyclone Nilam’s landfall at Mahabalipuram on Wednesday evening, the Krishna, Prakasam and Guntur districts got heavy and continuous rainfall till Thursday inundating several low-lying areas and main thoroughfares in Vijayawada. The district received 90 cm of rain on Thursday due to the impact of the cyclone.
Thirty five of the 50 mandals in Krishna district received excess rainfall in 2012-13 monsoon season, the remaining received normal rainfall and none of the mandals had a deficit, according to rainfall figures released by the district administration here on Thursday.
Water was released late for khariff from Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir to the farmers in the district, but saved by the good rainfall. They would have been doomed if the rainfall was similar to the corresponding season in 2011-12. As many as 19 mandals received deficit rainfall last season.
With just four mandals receiving excess rain 27 mandals received normal rainfall in that season.
On Thursday Avanigadda received the highest rainfall of 9.64 cm and Machilipatnam received 8.7 cm. The mandals that received rainfall of more then 5 cm are Koduru (5.24 cm), Mopidevi (6.4), and Ghantasala (5.86). The mandals that received rainfall of more than 3 cm are Movva (4.62), Challapalli (3.64), Nagayalanka (3.52) and Gudur (4.62).
Torrential downpour throughout the day threw life out of gear in the district on Thursday. There were no major causalities reported though the district administration was on its toes keeping a vigil on coastal hamlets.
Schools suspended classes in the afternoon session. With the rain continuing unabated, roads resembled water pools in Guntur and in other municipal towns. Electric supply was erratic throughout the day. Weather remained gloomy and the temperatures dipped to about 26 degrees Celsius.
District Collector S. Suresh Kumar and Joint Collector N. Yuvaraj monitored the situation. The Collector had a set conference with all Mandal Revenue Officers at Ponnur in the evening and took stock of the situation.
Suryalanka beach at Bapatla was a picture of fury as tidal waves measuring up to 9-10 feet lashed the coast. Tourism resorts wore a deserted look as the guests had been made to vacate on Wednesday itself. Fishermen stayed away from the rough waters.
Bapatla received the highest rainfall which measured 12.1 c.m, followed by Macherla (10.2 c.m.)
The rains flattened the paddy, maize and cotton fields. Standing crops in Bapatla and Tenali mandals suffered extensive damage.
The rains, however, had done a world of good for the cotton crop cultivated under Nagarjuna Sagar Project Right Canal ayacut, according to Joint Director of Agriculture A. Sridhar.
Heavy rain pounded Prakasam district even as the cyclonic storm, Nilam, weakened. Normal life was thrown out of gear across the district with the situation worse in Adanki, Maddipadu and N.G.Padu mandals. Vehicular traffic to Hyderabad was diverted via Chilakuluripeta as the Ongole-Adanki-Narkedpalli highway was flooded at Boduvanipalem. Vehicular traffic was brought to halt between Ongole and Chirala as low-level causeway at Madirallapadu was flooded by swollen Gundalakamma river.
The Addanki police rescued a lorry driver and a cleaner from an overturned lorry at Boduvanipalem. People in the Inkollu area were evacuated as Duddukuru vagu and Koniki Vagu were in spate. District Collector Anita Rajendra oversaw relief and rehabilitation of people in the worst-affected mandals of Ongole, Madipaddu and N.G.Padu as food packets were distributed to 4000 affected people. Eight camps were opened in Ongole for the affected people, Revenue Division Officer M.S.Murali said.
The entire inflow of 38,000 cusecs of water was discharged as the Obulreddy Gundalakamma reservoir, with a storage of 3.895 tmc, attained the full level of 24.38 m. All the roads in Ongole city and its suburbs were submerged as 24 cm rainfall was recorded in 24 hours.
Two engineering college students were reported missing as Vengamukapalem vagu was in spate, revenue officials said. Municipal commissioner S.Ravindra Babu led his workers in removal of waste from clogged drains. ''The situation is under control. We have deployed five earth-movers to ensure quicker disposal of water from all drains,'' he said.
A delegation of CPI(M) leaders led by its city secretary G.V.Konda Reddy visited the affected colonies on both sides of the Potharaju canal as also those on the bypass road and pressed for declaring Ongole a flood-affected area to make it eligible for financial assistance from the Union and State Governments.
The district on an average received 10 cm rainfall.
Moderate to heavy rain lashed several parts of the district on Thursday. Water stagnated in low-lying areas, particularly the localities surrounding Kalvavoddu and Munneru river bank in Khammam town. The farmers faced severe ordeal in protecting their cotton produce from rain at the market yard here. Cotton produce of a few farmers got soaked, sources added.
