Rains lash Tirupati, Nellore districts, throw normal life out of gear

TIRUPATI, NELLORE: With rains lashing several parts of Tirupati and the SPSR Nellore districts overnight on Tuesday too, normal life was thrown out of gear. Power outages were reported from many areas and the low-lying areas remained waterlogged.

Nellore district recorded 48.8mm (4.8cm) rainfall with Bogole mandal recording 13.8cm. The rain was of 13.4cm in Allur, 11.4cm in Vidavalur and 11cm in Indukurpet. Except for Seetharamapuram and Duttalur, all other mandals received rainfall almost continuously since Monday night.

In Nellore city, low-lying areas and railway underpasses turned themselves into cesspools, causing hardships to motorists. The railway under-bridges at Atmakur bus stand, Ramalingapuram, and Magunta layout were flooded, making it difficult for commuters to cross these.

In the early hours of Tuesday, many places in the city limits saw overflowing of drains and culverts. The city population faced difficulties due to poor road conditions.

Nellore civic commissioner Haritha said a command control room was set up at the corporation, equipped with phone numbers 1800 425 1113 and 0861 2301541. Those having problems like water logging or inundation may call these numbers for assistance.

The corporation has posted men to pump out the waterlogged under bridges.

In Prakasam district, the average rainfall was 14.4mm with Singarayakonda mandal recording 6.8cm followed by Ongole city with 5.6 cm, Tangutur  and Zarugumalli 5cm, Kothapatnam 5.5 cm, Naguluppalapadu 3.2cm.

While 13 mandals among the 38 mandals went without rain, the other mandals recorded 2.8mm to 3 cm rainfall in the district.

Meanwhile, life across Tirupati district was crippled, especially in Tirumala and Tirupati city, following continuous rains since Monday night. Temperature dropped after strong surface winds turned the weather chilly.

Several low-lying areas, especially the coastal areas, were inundated and people had to walk through knee-deep water.

The urban and rural pockets of Tirupati witnessed continuous showers on Tuesday, recording 25.4mm and 26.6mm of rainfall respectively. The severity of the rain was such that rainwater overflowed on the city roads and broken manholes at few places, posing a threat to motorists and pedestrians alike.

In Tirumala, devotees were put to extreme inconvenience owing to a cloudburst. The other mandals of Tirupati district also witnessed widespread rains.

According to reports, Vakadu mandal recorded a downpour of 96.6mm, the highest in the district, followed by Doravari Satram  96.4mm, Kota 86.4mm, Naidupeta 63.8mm, Ozili 61.2mm, Satyavedu 60mm, Pellakuru 58.4mm, Chittamuru  57.2mm and Sullurpet 56.8mm. Several other mandals received rainfall ranging from 1mm-56mm.

(with inputs from Pathri Rajasekhar)