Heavy rain throws normal life out of gear in Visakhapatnam

Normal life was thrown out of gear in several parts of Visakhapatnam due to heavy rain for the past three days under the influence of low pressure. Residents in the low-lying areas were put to hardship as roads became water-logged and several parts suffered inundation.

Areas like Poorna Market, Chavulamadum, Jnanapuram, New Colony, Sheelanagar, Silparamam Jatara and Narava experienced heavy rain and the water was overflowing on roads causing much inconvenience to vehicle riders. Traffic came to a halt at Chavulamadum Bridge on Wednesday night as vehicles found it difficult to wade through the rainwater under the bridge. It took several hours for the police to clear the congestion.

The service road towards Thagarapuvalasa was water-logged, making it difficult for motorists to negotiate. Meanwhile, taking stock of the situation, Visakhapatnam District Collector A Mallikarjuna IAS has said, quoting IMD, that there is a possibility of heavy rain to continue all over coastal Andhra under the influence of low pressure.

The Collector has directed the Tehsildars, other officials and the ward secretariat staff to stay in villages and monitor the situation from time to time. He said stocks of essential commodities such as rice, oil and gas must be kept in sufficient quantities in case of any emergency. Following a directive by the District Collector, a holiday was declared for all schools in the district on 27 July (Thursday) due to heavy rain, according to a press note issued by the DEO.

Three SDRF teams have been kept ready in Visakhapatnam for relief operations, if necessary. Besides the Collectorate, control rooms have been set up at all mandal headquarters.

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