VISAKHAPATNAM: What started as mild showers on Monday morning turned into a heavy downpour by the noon, flooding several areas. As usual, drain water swelled up on to the roads, disrupting public life in Visakhapatnam.
Apart from the Monday blues, motorists bore the brunt as vehcicular traffic was disrupted as many roads including the NH-16 got inundated. Motorists suffered as the highway, in several stretches, at Akkayyapalem, Maddilapalem, Venkojipalem and Thatichetlapalem areas was submerged.
With heavy rain pounding for more than three hours, areas in Pithapuram Colony, HB Colony, China Waltair, Old Post Office, Poorna Market turned into a cesspool. The waterlogged roads with the debris dumped on the roads, as the construction works are on, gave a hard time to the motorists .
Several areas in One Town had drains overflowing, emanating foul odour, with garbage piled up on the roadside added to the woes. In Chavulamadam, Allipuram, interior areas of the Two Town, the rainwater inundated the water, making it impossible for the motorists to drive. Those living on the hillocks at Isukathota, Maddilapalem, Hanumanthawaka, Arilova, Madhuranagar and Gajuwaka were gripped in fear of boulders falling off the hill.
Interior villages lose road connectivity
The situation in Agency was also no different. Several areas in Paderu, Chintapalli, Araku, Minumuluru, Koyyuru, Dumbriguda, especially the interior villages lost road connectivity to the mandal headquarters with the nearby streams overfloing, sinking the roads. The threat of possible landslides stares at the tribals living in the interior hamlets in the Agency since the last couple of days. Officials of the Cyclone Warning Centre, Vizag, said due to the upper air trough shifting from Telangana to Southern Andhra Pradesh will receive widespread rains at many places in the next 24 hours.
Road, rail traffic hit
- Railway tracks flooded in Line Kotturu area of Yelamanchili at around 10.30 am. AP Express and a few other trains were halted at the nearby stations. The authorities with the help of earthmovers brought the situation to normalcy within an hour.
- With Sarada river in spate, roads at Narayanapuram of Rambilli mandal were submerged, leaving the vehicles stranded for an hour
- Chodavaram RTC complex was also flooded
- Traffic came to a halt for half an hour on NH-16 at Pothireddypalem as rainwater flowed on the roads
638 dengue cases registered
With the dengue spreading fast, the total number of positive cases reported from the district by September 26 has been put at 638. Sources said that the number of dengue cases was around 300 last year, adding that the spread of the disease has been more in the Vizag city than the rural areas this year. Collector Pravin Kumar said that though it was a huge number, almost all the cases were being treated.
Gala time for Tourists
Even before the beginning of the tourist season, Visakhapatnam Agency has registered an increase in the footfalls of the domestic tourists in the past few days. Thanks to the rain. With the Katiki, Chaparai and a few other waterfalls in full flow owing to the heavy rain, the tourists are thronging Araku, Ananthagiri, Dumbriguda and several other places.