Deluge effect: Several areas along Penna river in Nellore district cutoff

NELLORE/KADAPA: Residents of Nellore city and its suburbs, particularly a few villages in Atmakur in Nellore rural divisions along the Penna river are in complete distress as the deluge hasn't receded yet; but continued to inundate several low-lying areas, flooding thousands of houses and damaging properties.  

One student died in flooding on the Polytechnic College premises at Venkateswarapuram close to Nellore city. Gopi (16) 16 hails from Bodegadithota in Nellore city studying the second year in Polytechnic college. He along with his friend visited the college on Saturday morning and got stuck when the flood water suddenly raised. His friend managed to come out, but Gopi died in the inundated college premises. His body was retrieved on Sunday morning by rescue personnel. 

More than 30 villages along the Penna river including Vengamanaidupalli, Bandarupalli, Toorpu Kambhampadu, Chalapunaidupalli, Veerlagudipadu, Kolagatla, Minagallu, Damaramadugu, Padugupadu, Jammipalem, Kovur, Pothireddypalem, and other villages are still inundated. 

Vehicular movement on National Highway 16 was disrupted as the road was cut off at Bhagat Singh colony due to flooding close to Nellore city. Highway staff swung into action and took up repair works. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic on the route was diverted to Ongole and Chittoor.

Kandaleru, Kaivalya, and Pampaleru rivers are still in spate in the Gudur revenue division.  Rescue operations are underway in flood-affected villages. The administration has been running 61 relief camps across the district.  People in Nellore city outskirts close to river Penna have been facing troubles to get essentials as the roads are still overflowing with floodwater. 

Road connectivity between Kadapa and Tadipatir was cut off following the collapse of a bridge on Papagni river at Kamalapuram in Kadapa district on Sunday morning. The nearly two-decade-old bridge gave away under the pressure of intense flooding in the Papagni river following heavy rains that lashed its upper catchment areas. As a precautionary measure police stopped the movement on the route and police personnel were deployed on both sides of the bridge on Saturday night itself.

Fire service personnel in Kadapa town rescued a 25-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter from a partially collapsed building in the early hours of Sunday, immediately responding to a distress call. On the other hand search for the missing people in the villages along Cheyyeru in the Rajampet division of Kadapa district.