Rains pounding the two Telugu states as depression crosses the Andhra coastline

Public life was thrown out of gear in most parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as the depression from the Bay of Bengal moved over Telangana on Tuesday.

The ensuing heavy rains are pounding several districts, including Hyderabad, where floodwaters have inundated roads, colonies causing traffic jams and other miseries for the citizens.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has formed several teams for rescue and relief operations. Government machinery especially the police department is asked to be on alert and people are warned of more rains in the next two days

At least four people were killed in a wall collapse and drowning incidents in Andhra Pradesh. About 4,700 people were evacuated from low lying areas of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari. Four NDRF teams are positioned in these two districts.

According to the meteorological department, the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal crossed north Andhra Pradesh coast close to Kakinada at around 7 AM on Tuesday.

Though the system has further weakened into “a well-marked low-pressure area,” heavy to very heavy rains are predicted to fall in several parts of Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra on Tuesday, and Wednesday.

On Tuesday, as the system crossed the Andhra Pradesh coastline, East & West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Krishna districts received heavy rains. In Vijayawada, boulders fell on the ghat road leading to the popular Kanakadurga temple. There was no harm to life as the pilgrim rush was meagre because of the rains and Covid-19 restrictions.

In the neighbouring Guntur district, revenue officials served notices to the residents of bungalows along the Krishna river right bank, including former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. The officials advised the inhabitants to move out to safer places as there is a possibility of about six lakh cusecs of water from upstream swamping the areas near the Prakasam Barrage.

A Bangladeshi ship reportedly waiting for its docking at the Vizag port lost its anchors in the turbulent waters of the Bay of Bengal and is stranded on the city’s shore.