Four Boats Washed Away, Traffic on Prakasam Barrage Suspended for 24 Hours

Vijayawada: Four large boats washed away by floodwaters got stuck at the gates of Prakasam Barrage, leading to suspension of vehicular traffic there for 24 hours. The Mangalagiri subdivision police suspended vehicular movement other than for emergency vehicles as a precautionary measure on Monday.

DSP Murali Krishna said the boats hit the barrage and damaged Gate 60 in the early hours of the day. “Vehicular movement from Vijayawada to Tadepalli from the Undavalli side, and vice versa, will be suspended until Tuesday,” he said.

The Prakasam Barrage continued to receive significant inflows, with a record 11.40 lakh cusecs of floodwater being discharged by the lifting of all 72 gates. The second flood warning remained in force throughout Monday. Krishna river was in spate due to incessant rains in the areas upstream of the Prakasam Barrage.