Tirupati: DistrictCollector Dr S Venkateswar on Friday inspected damaged Olluru Rayala Cheruvu near Patapalem in KVB Puram mandal of Satyavedu constituency and examined reasons behind the breach.

He said the breach in the bund of Rayala Cheruvu, located under Olluru village limits, caused massive flooding in nearby areas. The tank, which receives inflows from Puttur Reserve Forest catchment area, has a storage capacity of about 0.8 TMC (80 MCFT) and irrigates around 1,200 acres serving four villages.

Preliminary findings revealed that the incident occurred due to weak soil at the base of the bund, which led to gradual slippage and overflow. Around 5 am, local fishermen noticed muddy water and alerted village heads. By 6.30 am, water began flowing over the bund, and despite immediate efforts by irrigation staff using machinery, force of the water was too strong to control. Entire bund eventually gave way, inundating the downstream villages.

Several cattle, goats, and sheep got washed away. Water levels in Kalathuru reached up to seven feet, damaging household articles, vehicles, and crops. The rabi groundnut crop was completely destroyed.

The Collector said that relief and sanitation works were launched on a war footing, with the administration setting up relief centers to provide food, drinking water, and essential supplies. Enumeration teams have begun door-to-door surveys to assess losses, including livestock and household damages.

He assured villagers that the government would stand by them, promising Rs 10,000 to each household for cleaning assistance, compensation of Rs 7,500 for sheep and goats, Rs 40,000 for cows, and Rs 50,000 for buffaloes. Each family will receive 25 kg of rice, essential commodities, and Rs 3,000 for utensils. Those, who lost house sites, will be allotted new plots and sanctioned houses.

Dr Venkateswar, accompanied by Satyavedu MLA Adimulam, Srikalahasti MLA Bojjala Sudhir Reddy, Yadava Corporation Chairman Narasimha Yadav, trainee collector Sandeep Raghuvanshi, Srikalahasti RDO Bhanu Prakash Reddy and irrigation department officials, distributed relief materials including rice, pulses, sugar, oil, and blankets to affected families.

He said restoration of electricity and cleaning of all villages would be completed within two days, assuring that the government would continue providing food and water until normalcy is restored.