Cyclone Arnab Batters Krishna District, Koduru Records 165.8 mm Rainfall

MACHILIPATNAM (KRISHNA DISTRICT): Cyclone Arnab’s impact triggered heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds across Krishna district on Wednesday, inundating roads, uprooting trees and hoardings, and disrupting normal life in several coastal mandals. Koduru recorded the highest rainfall in the district at 165.8 mm, according to the mandal-wise rainfall report.

The district received an average rainfall of 68.7 mm, with a cumulative total of 1,787.4 mm. Coastal mandals bore the brunt of the downpour, with Machilipatnam North and Machilipatnam South each recording 112.6 mm, followed by Nagayalanka at 108.8 mm, Pedana at 103.2 mm and Guduru at 102.2 mm. Avanigadda recorded 97.4 mm, Challapalli 88.4 mm, Pamarru 68.6 mm and Ghantasala 68.2 mm. Bapulapadu registered the lowest rainfall at 26.2 mm.

The situation was particularly alarming in Venugopalapuram village of Koduru mandal in the Avanigadda constituency, where incessant rain since Tuesday night and powerful winds left roads waterlogged and brought down large trees across roads.

Residents reported that strong winds had made the nearby sea extremely rough, triggering fear among villagers. Power supply remained disrupted from the night, plunging the village into darkness. The outage also affected the aquaculture sector, while the disruption of internet services added to residents’ anxiety.

Villagers expressed fears of a situation similar to the devastating 1977 cyclone. Their concerns were compounded by difficulties in accessing routes out of the village. A bridge near Lingannakodu on the Ullipalem side was reportedly damaged, while the road towards Salempalem was unavailable, leaving residents facing serious connectivity problems.

Meanwhile, Minister Kollu Ravindra held a teleconference with the district Collector, Revenue Divisional Officer and tahsildars to review the cyclone situation and direct officials to intensify relief and precautionary measures.

The Minister instructed officials to evacuate people from flood-prone areas to safer locations and ensure that relief camps were equipped with food, medicines and other essentials. He also directed the immediate removal of fallen trees to restore road connectivity and prevent transportation disruptions.

Emphasising public safety, the Minister asked officials to take urgent steps to restore power supply while preventing electrical accidents. He also stressed the need to protect drinking water pipelines from contamination caused by flooding.

Officials were directed to establish rehabilitation centres in low-lying areas and take measures to ensure that people remained indoors for the next 24 hours in view of the prevailing weather conditions.

Authorities are closely monitoring vulnerable coastal areas, with immediate priorities including clearing blocked roads, restoring essential services, safeguarding aquaculture operations and shifting residents from vulnerable locations to safer shelters. Residents have been urged to follow official advisories and avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improve.

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The Hans India