Rains throw life out of gear in Kurnool district

KURNOOL: Life was thrown out of gear in Kurnool district as incessant rains lashed Nandyal, Adoni and Kurnool divisions on Thursday.

Allagadda received eight centimetres of rain followed by Mahananfi, Atmakur with lesser levels. All canals were flowing to the brim. If the rain continued, low-lying areas would be flooded and this would require evacuations, said Nandyal joint collector Chahat Bajpai.

The rainfall as recorded by the district revenue department was Allagadda 76.2mm, Atmakur 70.8, Kothapalli 62.4, Bandi Atmakur 55.2, Mahanandi 47.8 and Pagidyala 46.4mm.

Nandyal, Bandi Atmakur, Chagalamarri, Allagadda and Koilkuntla are prone to waterlogging due to floods from the Kundu and Bavanasi rivers and Paleir rivulet. With Paleir in spate, vehicular traffic halted for some hours.

Farmer Konda Reddy said agricultural fields have been inundated, causing damage to crops. "We have just started agricultural operations and the sowing is over. Now, water from rivers and rivulets is flowing into fields and damaging crops,” he said.

Nandyal joint collector said, “As of now, we have identified some schools to be used as temporary shelter for rain-affected families.”

Chama Kaluva in Nandyal is a perennial problem as even low-intensity rainfall will result in floods and inundation of the houses on its banks, rendering them homeless.

The weather forecast for Friday is of light to moderate rainfall that is likely to occur at scattered places in Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and Chittoor districts. “The upper-level cyclonic circulation lies over Northwest Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood and extends between 3.1km and 7.6km above mean sea level, tilting southwestwards with height. Under its influence, a low-pressure area is very likely to form over northwest Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood.”