Eight Killed in Andhra Pradesh Due to Rain and Landslides

Eight people lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, with five fatalities reported in Vijayawada due to landslides, officials confirmed. Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner HM Dhyanachandra stated that five individuals died in landslides at Mogalrajapuram. "Here, it is five deaths due to landslide. There may be more also," Dhyanachandra mentioned, adding that debris clearance would resume on Sunday morning.

Heavy Rainfall and Landslides

The landslides in Mogalrajapuram were triggered by heavy rainfall, causing large boulders to fall on two houses. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the victims. He also instructed officials to relocate residents from areas prone to landslides as more heavy rain is expected over the next few days.

In Pedakakani village, Guntur district, a teacher and two students died when their hatchback car was swept away by an overflowing stream. The incident occurred around 12:30 pm as they were returning home after classes were suspended due to rain. Guntur district superintendent of police S Satish noted that although the stream was not very large, the light hatchback was still washed away. Police managed to recover all three bodies.

Impact on Infrastructure and Relief Efforts

Vijayawada received 18 cm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Saturday, with continued rain throughout the day. Dhyanachandra mentioned that multiple teams from the civic body were working to divert water from flooded roads back into canals using pumps. He added that 22 locations in the city were affected, and teams had been working since 4 am to manage the water diversion. Rainwater had also entered homes in a few wards prone to flooding.

Community halls in Vijayawada were opened to shelter affected residents, providing food and drinking water. Besides Vijayawada, Machilipatnam also recorded 18 cm of rainfall, followed by Gudivada with 17 cm, Kaikaluru with 15 cm, Narasapuram with 14 cm, Amaravati with 13 cm, and Mangalagiri and Nandigama with 11 cm each.

Weather Forecast and Government Response

The Meteorological Department reported that a depression over the west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards by 2:30 pm on Saturday. It is expected to cross north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur near Kalingapatnam late Saturday night. The Chief Minister is closely monitoring the situation through regular teleconferences with officials as heavy rains are forecasted for three days.

Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) managing director R Kurmanadh warned of heavy rainfall in parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh today, accompanied by strong surface winds. Isolated places in Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, and Visakhapatnam districts are expected to receive heavy rain.

Precautionary Measures and Warnings

Kurmanadh advised residents to be cautious of overflowing canals and streams, uprooted power lines, and low-lying areas. The Central Water Commission (CWC) alerted that most rivers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are likely to swell over the next two days. Increased water flows are anticipated into several projects such as Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam, Thottapalli, Madduvalasa, Sriram Sagar, among others. The CWC recommended water discharge according to standard operating procedures after informing downstream residents.

Four NDRF and six SDRF teams are on standby for rain-related emergencies. The South Central Railway (SCR) Zone's Vijayawada Division has diverted and cancelled several trains while setting up helplines at key railway stations.

Incessant rains have disrupted normal life across many towns in Andhra Pradesh due to waterlogged roads. Several roads in Guntur town and Kaza toll plaza between Vijayawada and Guntur were inundated with rainwater.

The state government has mobilised its machinery to be on high alert. Coordination between the Irrigation and Revenue Departments is crucial for monitoring ponds during this period of heavy rainfall.

The ongoing relief operations face challenges due to continuous rainfall affecting various parts of Andhra Pradesh including Vijayawada.