Normal life has been disrupted due to heavy rain for the last three days under the influence of Cyclone Gulab in the Visakhapatnam district. Several culverts and kucha roads in the rural and in the Agency areas have been washed away by the overflowing of canals and rivulets and cutting off villages in the interior parts to the mandal headquarters since Monday. In some parts, water is seen overflowing onto the roads.
Keeping in view of the incessant downpour and flooding in many areas, the district administration announced holiday for the schools on Tuesday.
Public transportation between Araku and S.Kota was disrupted due to heavy flow of water on the ghat road near Ananthagiri on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, around 20 villages have been cut-off after Matsyagedda rivulet started to overflow on causeway near Iradapalle panchayat in Paderu mandal. Similarly, a number of perennial streams were in spate and water flowed over roads and culverts at a number of places such as at Jogampeta in Koyyuru mandal, Addumanda in G.K Veedhi and at a number of places in Araku, Hukumpeta, Munchinput and Dumbriguda mandals.
On the Araku ghat road, trees fell on the road and police authorities had a tough time in clearing them.
Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer R. Gopala Krishna said that a couple of houses were damaged due to continuous rains in Paderu mandal and in many areas due flow of water onto the roads, the interior villages have been cut off . A few culverts were also washed away in several mandals. Four teams were formed with officials from Revenue, Roads & Buildings and others, who are monitoring the four main ghat roads — Ananthagiri, Chintapalle, Paderu and Araku — and to check whether there are any landslides, overflowing of water and falling of boulders, he said.
“Once the rain subsides, we will prepare a report on overall damages, agriculture losses and submit a report. At present our focus is on the waterlogged areas,” Mr. Gopala Krishna added.
Meanwhile, in the city water has started to recede from the colonies that were flooded on Monday. People who were shifted to rehabilitation centres have started to go back to their houses from Tuesday afternoon.
D. Ramanayya, a resident of Ekalavya Colony, who lives in a thatched house, said that rice bags and essential commodities in their houses were damaged due to the sudden flash floods. “About 70 families live here and all of them were affected. We are being provided food by the government and NGOs since Monday,” he said.
GVMC Commissioner G. Srijana on Tuesday morning inspected several rehabilitation centres at Madhavadhara and Thatichetlapalem areas and enquired about the amenities being provided.
Sanitation hit
A number of roads were still covered with debris and the conditions of the roads that were already damaged have worsened. Sanitation activity was also hit across the city due to the rains.
According to statistics from AP CM Dashboard, the rural and Agency areas witnessed good rains in the last 24 hours compared to the city limits. Areas such as Narsipatnam, Kotlavuratla, Ravikamatham, Nakkapalle, Kasimkota, Pendurthi, Madugula, Parawada, Anakapalle, Yelamanchali and Butchayyapeta recorded good rainfall.
