Andhra Pradesh heavy rains disrupted road connectivity across several districts on Tuesday as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal moved towards the north Andhra Pradesh-South Odisha coast, with authorities reporting one drowning, inundated low-lying areas and multiple rainfall alerts for September 23 and 24.
A man from Vijayawada, identified as M. Hemantha Krishna, drowned in the overflowing Thotapalli canal in Seethanagaram mandal of Parvathipuram Manyam district. Personnel from the State Disaster Management Authority were searching for his body, according to the report.
In Vizianagaram district, officials suspended traffic on the Chandrampeta-Vasantha road after floodwater inundated the route. A large volume of water entered the Ginjerugedda stream following heavy rain since Monday night, prompting authorities to halt movement on the road.
The India Meteorological Department said the deep depression was located 220 km from Visakhapatnam and 120 km from Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district. It was moving west-northwestwards and was very likely to cross the north Andhra Pradesh-South Odisha coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur as a deep depression on Wednesday night.
IMD-Amaravati director Dr K. Naga Ratna said parts of Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts were likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rainfall under a red alert on Wednesday. Parts of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, Kakinada, East Godavari and Eluru districts were also expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.
The forecast also covered several other districts. Heavy rain was expected in parts of Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and NTR districts. For September 24, an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall was issued for Parvathipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kakinada, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru. Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, Krishna, Guntur, NTR and Bapatla were placed under a yellow alert for heavy rainfall.
Rainfall totals reported by the state disaster management authority showed that Palasa and Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district received around 10 cm of rain. Peda Bayalu in Alluri Sitarama Raju district recorded 7.1 cm, while Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram recorded 6.2 cm. Visakhapatnam city and its surroundings received 6 cm, and parts of Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalle and Parvathipuram Manyam recorded around 5 cm each.
State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha reviewed the situation with State Disaster Management Authority officials and interacted with collectors in north coastal Andhra. Agriculture Minister K. Atchennaidu also spoke to Srikakulam Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar and advised him to take all safety measures. The IMD forecast and district-level response measures remain the immediate focus as the deep depression approaches the coast.
