Visakhapatnam clears up as flood warnings sound on Nagavali and Vamsadhara
Restoration work picked up in Visakhapatnam on Friday as the first flood warning was issued on the Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers after heavy inflows.
Relief and restoration work gathered pace across Visakhapatnam and neighbouring districts on Friday, a day after a deep depression crossed the north Andhra coast, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and widespread disruption.
The system made landfall just southwest of Kalingapatnam between 11 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 a.m. on Thursday, and was expected to weaken gradually through Friday.
In Visakhapatnam, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation stepped up the clearance of fallen trees, damaged electric poles and waterlogged roads. Of the 112 trees that came down across the city, 102 had been removed by Friday, with the remaining ones being cleared. Municipal teams were also removing debris to restore normal traffic.
With the rain easing, water that had collected on several roads was gradually receding. Preliminary assessments showed that nearly 12 km of GVMC roads had been damaged, including several service roads affected by heavy rain and runoff.
In Alluri Sitharama Raju district, a high alert was sounded in view of overflowing streams and the possibility of further disruption in the Agency areas. A ghat road in Koyyuru mandal, damaged by landslips, was restored, and officials continued to monitor vulnerable stretches and water crossings.
In Srikakulam district, the flood situation came under close watch following heavy inflows into the Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers. Home Minister V. Anitha asked officials to track rising water levels closely and to coordinate with Odisha authorities on the flood flow, particularly in upstream areas.
The first flood warning was issued at the Gotta Barrage on the Vamsadhara and the Narayanapuram anicut on the Nagavali as inflows rose. Officials in mandals vulnerable to inundation were asked to maintain round-the-clock surveillance and take precautionary measures, and to shift people from low-lying areas to safer locations wherever necessary.
State Disaster Response Force teams have already been deployed in the affected districts as part of the precautionary arrangements. Ms. Anitha appealed to people to follow advisories issued by the local administration and the State government, and cautioned against entering floodwaters for swimming or fishing, particularly near rivers, streams, barrages and other water bodies where the flow could increase suddenly.