Parts of Anantapur town in Andhra Pradesh were inundated after heavy rains lashed the region since Tuesday night, October 11, leading to flooding. Water from overflowing lakes entered houses in several colonies on the outskirts of the town, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. Authorities sent teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Kurnool to Anantapur for rescue and relief operations.
Roads in the affected areas turned into rivulets, while houses were inundated under three feet deep water in some parts. Local officials shifted affected people to a local temple and government schools, where temporary relief camps have been set up. Visuals from the area shows the streets inundated with several feet of water, with cars and vehicles stuck in the middle of the flooded roads.
Residential areas around Nadimivanka channel which flows through the town were inundated due to heavy flow of rainwater from Alamur and Yaleru lakes. People alleged that encroachments hampered the flow of water leading to inundation. Yuvajana colony, Rajaka Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Rangaswamy Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Chandrababu Nagar and other colonies were among those affected. Anantha Venkataramireddy, the MLA of Anantapur Urban, reportedly ordered the deployment of earthmovers to remove obstacles obstructing the flow of water in Nadimvanka to prevent flooding in housing colonies, and he also reportedly supervised road restoration in the affected areas.
More rains are predicted in Anantapur and other parts of Andhra Pradesh over the next few days. According to a bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday, October 12, light to moderate rains are very likely in Anantapur from Wednesday till Sunday, October 16. Most districts in Andhra Pradesh are expected to see rainfall this week, the IMD bulletin stated. A yellow warning is in place in most districts till Sunday, the bulletin added.
