Rain continues in Andhra Pradesh; Tamil Nadu gets a breather

The low pressure area that lay centred in the Bay of Bengal started to move towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, resulting in heavy rain in the state while offering a respite to Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. 

Normal life was hit in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema, as rain inundated low-lying areas and submerged thousands of acres of paddy, cotton and corn in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and East Godavari districts. 

With Visakhapatnam Cyclone warning centre reporting winds of 50 to 60 kmph in the north Andhra coast, fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation in the coastal districts with senior officials here and directed them to take  steps to help those affected.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu had a breather on Wednesday after two days of heavy rain with the movement of the low pressure area towards the Andhra coast. 

"Though the low pressure area is slowly drifting towards Andhra Pradesh, isolated rain or thundershowers may occur over north and south Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours", a senior Met official told Deccan Herald. 

In the last 24 hours, Chettikulam in Perambalur district recorded 5 cm rainfall, followed by Tiruvannamalai with 4 cm.

The rain that crippled normal life in many parts of the state also brought sufficient inflow of water to many reservoirs and lakes vital for irrigation and drinking water needs.

PWD sources said heavy rains in the past 48 hours increased water levels in Mettur, Vaigai, Periyar and other major dams in the state. 

Airports Authority of India sources said the runway at Chennai airport was “fully available”, due to which normal flight services remained in place. 

The possibility of strong offshore winds from north-westerly to westerly direction reaching 45-55 kmph in south Tamil Nadu has prompted authorities to warn fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next 48 hours.