Heavy rain from severe cyclonic storm Murasu breached canals and streams, flooded low-lying areas and agricultural fields, and disrupted traffic on national highways across several districts of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, with authorities monitoring rising water levels and diverting floodwater into the Krishna river.
The worst-affected areas included parts of NTR, Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu and the erstwhile twin Godavari districts. In Bapatla district, a breach in the Nallamada drain sent floodwater into paddy fields near Jillelamudi village, while a breach in the bund of the Nakkavagu stream inundated villages including Pedanandipadu and Nagulapadu.
In Guntur district, floodwater from the Yerravagu stream washed away part of the road linking Tadikonda and Kantheru. The overflowing Nallamada stream affected Garlapudi and Kommuru villages and hampered relief operations in the area. A significant stretch of the Tadikonda-Kantheru road was also damaged by the overflowing stream.
Traffic on NH-16 was disrupted after floodwater rose to nearly three to four feet between Tatapadu and Bollapalli Toll Plaza in Bapatla district. Similar disruption was reported near Marturu in Palnadu, where rainwater from nearby lakes and other water bodies overflowed onto the highway. On the Guntur-Amaravati Road, traffic was affected after floodwater crossed a low-level causeway near Lam.
Water resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu held a teleconference with senior officials to review the flood situation. Officials told him that the Nallamada and Parchuru drains had reached their full capacity in parts of Parchuru, Bapatla and Chirala.
The minister directed officials to maintain close surveillance over the Budameru, Yerrakaluva, Gonelavagu, Thammileru and Yeluru streams and reservoirs. The Prakasam Barrage was receiving an inflow of 71,000 cusecs because of heavy rainfall in Guntur and Palnadu districts, according to the officials.
Floodwater from the Budameru catchment area was being diverted into the Krishna river through the Budameru diversion canal. Ramanaidu instructed officials to immediately drain stagnant water from agricultural fields through canals and drains as the state continued to manage flooding and transport disruptions caused by the storm.
