At least 17 express trains were cancelled on the Chennai-Vijayawada grand trunk route as the flood overflowed on the railway track at Padugupadu. Three other trains were partially cancelled or diverted
Flood water enters the premises of Mahanandiswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh. ANI
The main rail and road routes in Andhra Pradesh, connecting the south and east, remained cut off as the Penna river in spate caused heavy destruction on Sunday. Additionally, some cracks developed around the bunds of one of the oldest and biggest reservoirs in the state, Rayala Cheruvu at Ramachandrapuram in Tirupati.
NDTV reported that an official announced, “The bund is in danger of breaking. Please leave as soon as possible. Please leave the village. Please co-operate. Take your valuables and documents and leave. Inform your relatives. The bund is in danger of breaking. Please leave.”
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He added, “This is the biggest tank in the district. It is a very old tank. There is a small leakage. So we don’t want to take any chances. So we are shifting villagers to safety”.
As per NDTV, special officer Pradyumna said, “There is 0.9 TMC water in the reservoir. There is overflow. We have to be careful as so much water has never come into this water body and it was not built to take so much water. So downstream villages have been asked to vacate by the district administration.”
“We are also talking to structural engineers to know if something can be done to prevent any break in the bunds,” he added.
NDTV reported that in the Chittoor district, a large volume of water from upstream and from Tirumala Hills had led to the Swarnamukhi river going into spate, filling the reservoirs and causing flooding. The soil in the reservoirs has become hyper-saturated with water. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had conducted an aerial survey of flood-affected areas of the state on Saturday morning.
The report further said at least 24 people have died in the state and many are reported missing in floods that affected the Rayalaseema region of the state. Several districts have suffered extensive damage after rains brought in by two depressions that developed in the Bay of Bengal lead to torrential flooding.
The Chennai-Kolkata National Highway-16 had to be closed down for traffic in SPS Nellore district following a heavy breach of road at Padugupadu.
At least 17 express trains were cancelled on the Chennai-Vijayawada grand trunk route as the flood overflowed on the railway track at Padugupadu. Three other trains were partially cancelled or diverted.
The State Disaster Management Authority said more than two lakh cusecs of floodwater flowed out of the Somasila reservoir in SPS Nellore district, leading to the deluge.
This caused breach of the National Highway-16 at Kovuru as well.
Consequently, traffic on the NH-16 between Nellore and Vijayawada has been suspended, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded for kilometers on either side.
Hundreds of passengers were stuck in the Nellore RTC bus station as bus services were disrupted.
Vehicular traffic coming from Srikalahasti has been stopped at Tottembedu check post and diverted via Pamuru and Darsi, officials said.
In Kadapa district, a bridge on the river Papagni collapsed at Kamalapuram, cutting off road communication between Kadapa and Anantapuramu districts.
Floodwater gushing out from the Veligallu reservoir led to the bridge collapse, officials said.
In Kadapa city, a three-storied building collapsed in the wee hours of Sunday, but no casualties were reported as the inmates ran out to safety just minutes before the incident.
A mother and child, who were trapped on the second floor, were rescued by police and fire services personnel.
With inputs from agencies