Heavy rain in Anantapur and Kurnool districts has affected normal life and traffic on Gooty-Bellary National Highway No.63 got disrupted on Saturday morning with water overflowing on the under-construction culvert at Rajapuram.
In Kurnool district, the Hundri river registered a flow of 20,000 cusecs in Kurnool town and a warning was issued that it could go up to 40,000 cusecs with a possible threat of inundation of low-lying areas in the evening as heavy rain was continuing in its catchment areas.
The civic authorities in Kurnool were alerting the people in low-lying areas and kept a watch on the water flow in the Hundri as the district recorded an average of 29.3 mm rainfall till Saturday morning. The Gajuladinne Project recorded a water level of 376.90 mts, with a gross storage of 4,300 mcft, and was getting an inflow of 60,000 cusecs (at Alarudinne bridge gauge).
Irrigation officials were releasing 39,868 cusecs, by raising the fourth and fifth gates up to 4 mts, the first gate up to 2.50 mts and the sixth gate up to 1.30 mts. Water was being released from the Left Main Canal (90 cusecs) and RMC (50 cusecs) and another 10 cusecs into the Summer Storage tanks.
Kurnool district recorded 243.4 mm rainfall this season against a normal of 117 mm till Saturday registering an excess of 108%.
98 mm in Guntakal
While Anantapur district recorded 20 mm average rainfall, Guntakal mandal alone registered 98 mm rain in 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Saturday leading to several rivulets overflowing and communication to several villages in Gooty and Guntakal mandals getting snapped. The traffic on the Bellary-Krishnapatnam Highway also got affected with people unable to commute between Guntakal and Gooty. The district received 253.7 mm rain this season against a normal of 120 mm, registering an excess of 110.5%.
Several lorries were stranded on both sides of the culvert at Rajapuram village and the police personnel were regulating/diverting the traffic. Heavy rain was reported from D. Hirehal and Bommanahal mandals in Anantapur district. 4.
