Overflowing tank maroons three villages, floods recede in Nellore

TIRUPATI: The heavy inflows into the 500-year-old Rayalacheruvu in Ramachandrapuram mandal of Chittoor district, which was on a brink of breaching at one stage forcing authorities to evacuate people in 18 villages, has inundated a few villages, besides cutting off road connectivity in the area.

Elsewhere, inflows into major projects are on the decline. The flood level in low-lying areas in Nellore and Tirupati has started receding. On Tuesday, three more bodies were recovered from the villages which were flooded due to the breach of bund of the Annamayya project on Cheyyeru in Rajampet mandal of Kadapa district. With this, the toll in deluge rose to 24.

Rayalacheruvu flooded three abutting villages in Tirupati urban mandal and the road connectivity to these villages was cut off completely. Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the area in an Indian Air Force chopper to assess the flood situation. Relief material was airdropped in the flooded villages.

Due to recent heavy rains and subsequent increase in inflows, Rayalacheruvu, located 15 km south of Tirupati, got filled to the brim and minor fissures had developed in its bund at four points. Panchayat Raj Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, Special Officer PS Pradyumna, along with Collector M Hari   Narayanan and local MLA Bhaskar Reddy, monitored plugging of fissures with sand bags. As many as 34,000 sand bags have been dumped at different points to plug the leakage of water. 

An expert team from IIT-Tirupati also surveyed the tank, its inflow and outflow points and advised the irrigation department to increase the outflow volume on the Kuppam Badur side of the water body. While the inflow continued to be at 6,000 cusecs, the outflow was only 3,000 cusecs. 

Hence, the district administration evacuated people living in villages on the Kuppam Badur side. Subsequently, irrigation officials increased the outflow over and above the inflow into the tank to avert possible inundation. 

Allaying fears of the people over the fate of Rayalacheruvu, Chittoor in-charge minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy said the minor irrigation tank is in a good shape. “There is absolutely no threat to Rayalacheruvu though damp soil patches chipped off at some points. The tank will be repaired at the earliest,’’ he said. In Kadapa, officials have stopped the passage of heavy vehicles on a bridge over Penna between Proddatur and Yerraguntla in view of heavy inflows into the river. Only two-wheelers and RTC buses are being allowed to ply on the bridge now.  

In Anantapur, police rescued 20 people who were stranded in a lorry that veered off the road and got stuck on a overflowing culvert. The lorry was carrying workers to agriculture fields in Peddapappuru mandal when the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road. The police rushed to the spot and rescued the stranded workers by deploying an earth-mover.

34,000 sand bags dumped to plug leaks
As many as 34,000 sand bags have been dumped at fissures of Rayalacheruvu bund to plug the leakage of water. Allaying fears of the people over the fate of Rayalacheruvu, Chittoor district in-charge minister M Goutham Reddy said the minor irrigation tank is in a good shape and there is no threat to it

Cheyyeru deluge toll goes up to 24
In Kadapa, officials have stopped the passage of heavy vehicles on a bridge over Penna between Proddatur and Yerraguntla in view of heavy inflows into the river. Three more bodies were recovered from the villages which were flooded by Cheyyeru deluge. With this, the toll in Cheyyeru deluge rose to 24