Cyclone Mandous: Heavy rains continue to lash 6 AP districts

AMARAVATI: Incessant rains, moderate to heavy, have been lashing at least six districts of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday under the influence of Cyclone Mandous which made its landfall near Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu. Barring tree collapses at several places and inundation of low-lying areas, no casualties or major incidents of devastation have so far been reported from the affected areas even as Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy held a review on the cyclone situation and ordered the district collectors to go all-out with relief measures.

Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority Managing Director Dr BR Ambedkar said in a statement that the Mandous Cyclone had crossed the coast near Mahabalipuram at 1:30 am on Saturday and was expected to further weaken into a depression by evening.

Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rains continued to lash Prakasam, SPSR Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Annamayya and YSR Kadapa districts on Saturday with the chance of light to moderate rain at many places until Sunday. The officials have warned the people to stay alert until the rains recede completely.

Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed across Nellore district, especially in the Gudur constituency on Friday night, resulting in streams overflowing and flood water flowing inundating roads and low-lying areas. The Pambaleru rivulet is flowing furiously near Guduru town while the Tippagunta stream in Chilakuru mandal is overflowing, causing hardships to the people due to the disruption of traffic to the village.

Heavy rains also saw overflowing of the Vemulapalem river resulting in traffic disruption in about 10 villages. The incessant rains also prompted authorities to lift the Somasila reservoir gates to discharge excess inflows.

Heavy rain was reported in Varadaiyapalem, BN Kandriga, KVB Puram, and Satyavedu mandals in the Chittoor district and power supply was disrupted in many places in the Tirupati district.

Tirupati MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, who plunged into action, went around flooded areas in knee-deep water in Lakshmipuram Circle and Jai Bhim Nagar Colony and personally took stock of the flood situation.

On the other hand, the incessant rains have caused the rivers to overflow in Jammalamadugu of Kadapa district and the people in the Penna river catchment area are in fear of submergence. Due to heavy inflows, 2000 cusecs of water were released from Mylavaram to Penna river and another 4000 cusecs likely to be released in the evening. About 4,000 cusecs were released from Gandikota to Mylavaram.

YS Jagan reviews cyclone situation

Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday directed the officials concerned to take all measures to tackle the situation arising out of Cyclone Mandous.

The Chief Minister held a review meeting with the officials to take stock of the situation in various districts. He asked officials to pay special attention to the affected areas witnessing heavy rainfall.

In particular, the collectors of Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor and Annamaya districts have been advised to be constantly vigilant and take appropriate action. He directed the officials to open rehabilitation centres if required and ensure all necessary support to the people.

Meanwhile, devotees in Tirumala are facing inconvenience as they are being forced to bear the brunt of non-stop rains, coupled with extreme cold conditions. The devotee rush at the Tirumala temple showed a slight dip since Friday evening as the rains showed no signs of abating any soon. Flood waters have entered into several low-lying areas on Tirumala.

As some reports claimed, high tidal waves under the cyclonic impact have eroded a portion of the coastal road between Kakinada and Uppada. This particular stretch is prone to sea erosion by high tides that lash the coast with increased force during cyclonic storms.