Andhra Rains: 9 dead, thousands evacuated as IMD issues 5-day weather alert; depression crosses state’s cost

Exceptionally heavy rainfall continued to lash several parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Sunday for the second day in a row. The IMD has issued an alert for the next five days as cyclonic depression Asna is expected to move West-Northwest away from the Indian coast in the next 24 hours. Nine people have lost their lives, and 13,227 have been evacuated from 294 villages in five districts of Andhra due to incessant rainfall.

Issuing a weather alert for the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the depression over north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, which has been causing heavy rainfall over the past two days, have moved northwestwards to cross the southern state's coast near Kalingapatnam in the wee hours of Sunday and currently lay centred over south Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km north to northwest of Visakhapatnam and 120 km east of Malkangiri.

The weather agency, in an official release, said, "The depression is over South Odisha and adjoining South Chhattisgarh and north Andhra Pradesh coast...it is likely to move in a west-northwest direction further and gradually weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area...under the influence of this depression, coastal Andhra Pradesh is likely to receive widespread rain in the next 24 hours also...we have issued red alert in some districts...".

Issuing a heavy rainfall alert of parts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kakinada and Nandyala districts, the IMD, in an official release, predicted light showers at some places in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and other districts, along with Rayalaseema region.

Alerting people living in low-lying areas, Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority issued first level warning at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada as the Krishna river is in spate, following heavy inflows.

Meanwhile, Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the weather situation and directed the senior officials to incorporate technologies such as drones to assess the deluge and accordingly plan the relief works.

State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said 13,227 people were evacuated from 294 villages in five districtsdue to torrential downpours in the past two days, reported news agency PTI.

"Until now nine people died due to the heavy rains. Police, NDRF and SDRF teams rescued 600 people from the marooned places. As many as 17 NDRF and SDRF teams undertook rescue operations at 22 submerged places in seven districts," the minister said in an official release.

The state government has established 100 rehabilitation centres in NTR, Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur and Palnadu districts to accommodate the evacuees, along with the arrangement of 61 medical camps.

Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner H M Dhyanachandra told PTI: “Budameru (canal) is overflowing in multiple areas and there was a breach also. Up to 12 wards were submerged. Upstream gates were closed to arrest the inflows. Around 3,000 people were evacuated.”