Heavy rains lash parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh, officials on high alert

Hyderabad: Rains lashed south coastal and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. Under the influence of a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal—Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, and Kadapa districts witnessed heavy rains, bringing daily life to a standstill.

Guntur, Krishna, and Telangana have reported moderate rainfall. Andhra Pradesh government have sounded a high alert and kept the disaster relief teams on standby.

According to the AP State Disaster Management Authority, the system in the Bay of Bengal, located 500 km from Nellore, is expected to make landfall between Puducherry and Nellore near Chennai on October 17. The deep depression is moving at a speed of 30–40 km/h. APSDMA predicted heavy to very heavy rains in these regions.

Since Tuesday night, Nellore has witnessed heavy rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning. Kavali recorded 15 centimeters of rainfall as wind intensity increased in coastal mandals of the district. Several districts have declared holidays for educational institutions on Wednesday and Thursday.

Heavy rains in the Tirupati district have flooded the runway at Renigunta Airport, forcing an IndiGo flight to divert to Chennai due to landing issues. Landslides have occurred on the ghat road from Tirupati to Tirumala due to the rains.

TTD is not allowing devotees to visit Srivari Padalu, Akasa Ganga, Japali, and Papavinasanam. It has already cancelled the VIP break darshan at Tirumala.

In Nellore, officials have taken special measures for the coastal mandals of Kota, Chillakuru, Vakadu, and Tada. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been kept ready at the Gudur Sub-Collector office.

In Nellore, continuous rains have caused flooding in low-lying areas. Residents are facing difficulties as water has entered their homes in Ayyappagudi Centre, Talpagiri Colony, Revenue Colony, Chandrababu Colony, and YSR Colony. Officials are working to repair a breach near the Penna Bridge in the city.

Kadapa City experienced heavy rainfall overnight. Water has inundated all roads. The complete flooding of the RTC bus stand premises caused significant inconvenience to travelers.

The Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) has been continuously monitoring the rainfall situation in the state. RTGS CEO K Dinesh Kumar inspected the arrangements made in RTGS. A total of 4,845 surveillance cameras have been installed in districts identified as likely to receive heavy rainfall. He reviewed the direct monitoring of the situation from RTGS through these cameras.

He examined how RTGS staff are assessing the ground-level situation in Nellore, Prakasam, Tirupati, Chittoor, and Kadapa districts, where heavy rains are expected. RTGS CEO Dinesh Kumar instructed RTGS to prepare hourly reports on weather and rainfall conditions.

He advised staff to remain alert until the rains subside and the situation returns to normal. v He noted that coastal areas will receive more rainfall when the cyclone crosses and called for special monitoring of conditions in these areas. He ordered real-time monitoring of water flow and flood levels in the Penna River and other aspects, with reports to be sent to higher officials regularly.