Heavy rain lashes city

Vijayawada: Heavy rain lashed the city leaving many places waterlogged on Wednesday. Normal life was disrupted due to heavy downpour; roads and streets were inundated with rain water. Knee-deep water on Prakasam Road caused damage to two-wheelers, autos and cars. Low-lying areas remain in water and people suffered a lot to come out and reach their homes. At low bridge at One Town, bike riders took shelter under railway tracks though water stagnated on the road.

Many residential localities clogged and people found it difficult to enter their flats. HB Colony bore the brunt as inner roads disappeared under rain water. It was the trouble time for the pedestrians and bike riders to identify roads. Rain water entered many flats.

Houses in Krishnalanka, Urmila Nagar, Rotary Nagar, New Rajarajeswaripet, Kothapet were marooned in water. Drain overflowed in other colonies also. Underground drainage failed in many parts of the city, including Suryaraopet. People used branches of trees to show location of manholes at Govindarajulu Street.

Though weather alerts say something different, the rain proved them wrong again. It was a day of deluge for many residential colonies. Worries of public wading through water choked on roads and main streets gave a pathetic state of drains all over the city.

The officials were caught unawares as garbage floated onto roads covered under thick sheets of drain water.Water pipelines, which were damaged in some localities, continue to remain under dirty water posing a threat to health of people.

“We are receiving coloured water. We don’t know whom to blame. Diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases are spreading here,” said V Ramu, a resident of HB Colony.