Downpour batters Chittoor, 2-day holiday declared for schools, colleges

Tirupati: The torrential rain battering the Chittoor district since last night has paralysed the normal life in the distinct. Most of the villages are in dark due to no power supply. Streams and rivulets are flowing above danger mark resulting in flash floods in several places inundating villages nearby, causing the residents are under siege and are cut off from outside areas. Several mandals in the district experienced more than 12 cms of average rainfall.

Traffic paralysed across the district and in some areas there was no road connectivity due to damage of roads and overflowing of canals.

Almost all 7,000 big, small and minor irrigation tanks in the district are near to the Full Tank Level (FTL).

According to reports, 380 acres in paddy, 80 acres of ground nut, 12 acres of sugarcane and tomato crop in 70 acres were damaged in Somala mandal due to rains.

Swarnamukhi river which is meandering through 6 mandals Chandragiri, Tirupati Rural, Renigunta, Yerpedu, Thotambedu, Srikalahasti before entering into Nellore district, flowing above danger level due to heavy inflows and submerged surrounding villages and areas.

Adding to the woes, the rivulets and streams are also flowing at danger level at many places where roads were damaged and disrupted traffic flow heavily.

A road linking Tirupati Rural, Ramachandrapuram, Vadamalapeta, Pudi, Appalayagunta where famous Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy Temple located and more than 40 villages were cut off from the nearby town Tiruchanur.

Vehicles bound to this route were stranded at Padipeta due to badly damage of Nakkaleru bridge.

M Krishnaiah,67, belonged to Munilapudi Harizanawada near Tiruchanur town, died on Thursday and the villagers were forced to wade through flowing Swarnamukhi branch canal with rope support to carrying the body for performing last rites.

Near Chandragiri, Swarnamukhi river flowing with full force above the causeway resulting in cut off transportation to Tirupati from Chandragiri side.

All the entrances to the city are waterlogged with floodwaters giving no entry to the vehicles.

These two routes, Chandragiri and Padipeta, are major ways for transporting vegetables, milk and other essential goods. Students going to school and colleges have to come through this routes to reach Tirupati. Persons depending on small daily wage works are suffering with no work.

Meanwhile, District Collector M Hari Narayanan declared holiday on Friday for schools and colleges in view of downpour.

District Revenue Officer (DRO) M S Murali said all areas in the district were witnessing heavy rain and some eastern mandals like Varadaiahpalem, Sathyavedu, Thotambedu, Srikalahasti etc. received more than 12cm of rainfall since last night.

"Rainwater flowing on roads of all villages and towns in the district and the villages adjacent to the tanks and rivers are prone to inundation at many places," he said.

The National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are ready to plunge into action to face any emergency situation and two more NDRF teams are reaching the district from adjacent Venkatagiri of Nellore district, he explained.

Most of the low-lying areas are inundated with floodwater and evacuation of people residing in those areas was already made since Thursday morning as a precautionary measure, he said.

He said all the officials including Collector are on field and alerting the concerned authorities at danger zone areas in the district and electricity supply disrupted in many villages due to snapping of power lines owing to strong winds and falling of trees.