Nellore: Alert sounded as Penna receives huge inflows

Famous Talpagiri Ranganatha Swamy temple surrounded by floodwaters in Nellore on Friday

: District administration sounded alert as the water bodies in the district are receiving huge inflows from the upper catchment areas of Rayalaseema region.

Somasila has been receiving around 85,000 cusecs of water and the officials estimated that it would touch 3-4 lakh cusecs by Friday night. They had already started releasing 2 lakh cusecs from morning and it would likely to be enhanced further for managing water level.

The district received around 10 cm of rainfall on average during the last 24 hours. Jaladanki mandal recorded the highest rainfall of 28.7 cm, Kavali received 27.7 cm, Bogole mandal received 27.5 cm, Kaligiri received 24.7 cm, Varikuntapadu mandal received 17.3 cm of rainfall. Nellore city received 7.7 cm of rainfall.

"Somasila reservoir has been receiving huge inflows from upstream areas and it may go up to 3-4 lakh cusecs in the next 24 hours. The heavy inflows released into river Penna. We are shifting people from low-lying areas to the nearby relief shelters as a precautionary measure," said District Collector K V N Chakradhar Babu.

Apparaopalem in Atmakur mandal, Veerlagudipadu of Sangam mandal were inundated with floodwaters of river Penna. With the huge water flow to Kommileruvagu in Ananthasagaram mandal, Kachiridevarayapalle has been submerged in water. Around 1,200 people from the village were shifted to shelter homes. As local tank at Nagulavellaturu of Chejarla mandal breached, floodwaters submerged the farmlands.

Further, gales obstructed the power supply in many mandals in the district. There was power supply of 5-6 hours only in Kovur mandal in the last three days.

Many villages in Marripadu mandal have no power for the last two days. Gandipalem reservoir in Udayagiri mandal received 9 feet of water, the highest in the last 10 years due to the heavy rainfall in the region. Road connectivity to Peramana and Kolagatla villages was stalled.

In Nellore city, civic officials with the help of plice have shifted people from low-lying areas located in 53rd and 54th divisions in Corporation limits to shelters.

Janardhan Reddy Colony, Manumasiddhi Nagar, Bhagath Singh Colony, Sundaraiah Colony and other areas in the city were inundated in floodwaters. Further, traffic on the National Highway-16 was diverted on another route till water recedes at Audisankara College close to Gudur.