Vehicular traffic on NH-65 at Ithavaram restored on Friday night

VIJAYAWADA: Vehicular traffic has been restored on NH-65 near Ithavaram of Nandigama mandal in NTR district on Friday night, giving a major relief to the stranded commuters.

The traffic had been stopped for several hours since Thursday evening following the flooding of a portion of the road under the influence of inflows from the flooded Munneru river.

Thousands of vehicles ply daily between Vijayawada and Hyderabad and vice versa on NH-65.

Heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Krishna manly in Khammam and Warangal districts in recent days resulted in the entry of a huge quantum of water to the Munneru River, a tributary of Krishna.

As the flood banks of the Munneru river were almost to the ground level, the huge inflow of water into the river resulted in water entering the fields.

The four-line NH-65 passes through the agricultural fields.

The overflowing water from the fields entered the low-lying portions of the NH, with nearly three feet of water flowing on it on Thursday evening.

The police stopped vehicular movement on the submerged portion of the road, resulting in a diversion of vehicles to the alternative routes for Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

However, with the floodwater receding, the police initially allowed vehicles on one side of the four-lane highway. Subsequently, they opened both sides of the highway by 8.30pm, giving a major relief to the stranded passengers and to those traveling between Vijayawada and Hyderabad.

NHAI maintained that unless the Munneru flood banks were strengthened by raising their height, the problem of flooding of the NH-65 would recur whenever there is heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Krishna and its tributaries.