Cyclone Nivar snaps road links in Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa; farmer washed away

Though there were no reports of fatalities since Wednesday midnight, a farmer in Yerpedu mandal of Chittoor district was washed away.
Heavy wateflowl at sornamukhi river due to cyclone Nivar in Srikalahasti. (Photo | EPS)
Heavy wateflowl at sornamukhi river due to cyclone Nivar in Srikalahasti. (Photo | EPS)

VIJAYAWADA/NELLORE/CHITTOOR/KADAPA: Heavy rains battered Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts on Thursday under the impact of severe cyclone Nivar, which crossed the coast near Puducherry around 2.30 am.

Though there were no reports of fatalities since Wednesday midnight, a farmer in Yerpedu mandal of Chittoor district was washed away. He had been stuck at the Rallamadugu project with two other farmers, who were rescued by police and disaster management personnel. A search is on for the missing farmer.

On Wednesday night, a man died in Nellore when he stepped on a live wire that snapped after strong winds uprooted an electric pole.Road connectivity was severely disrupted as local streams and rivulets overflowed. Several residential areas too were inundated.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took stock of the situation and asked officials to provide all possible relief to the affected people. He asked officials to enumerate the crop loss as soon as the rains stop, and provide immediate relief to farmers.

The officials explained that the cyclone had made landfall and its intensity was decreasing. Erpedu, Srikalahasti and Satyavedu of Chittoor district, and entire Nellore district, witnessed heavy rainfall. Parts of YSR Kadapa and Anantapur districts too were battered by the rain, they said.

The officials of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said there would be inflows into the river Penna. The Somasila project is filled to the brim and 2 TMC of water was released into the sea. Crops were damaged at some places, and damage assessment programmes will be conducted once the rains subside, the officials said.

IMD officials said Nivar is weakeniand will become a deep depression and depression by Friday morning. However, they said there is a likelihood of other low pressure areas in southern and central parts of the Bay of Bengal on November 29, which will move westwards and intensify.

Weathermen warned of more rains on Friday in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Isolated places in Rayalaseema and south coastal districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, since Wednesday night, extremely heavy rainfall occurred at Venkatagiri of Nellore district and at Kodur of Kadapa district. Very heavy rainfall was recorded at a few places in Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts and heavy rainfall at isolated place of East Godavari district and the Rayalaseema region.

The highest rainfall of 25 cm was received in Kodur of Kadapa district followed by 24 cm in Venkatagiri of Nellore district, 19 cm in Gudur, 16 cm in Rapur, 15 cm in Atmakur, 14 cm in Nellore, Kavali and Satyavedu, 13 cm in Nagari and Rajampet. Rainfall between 1 and 10 cm was reported in parts of Chittoor, Kadapa and Nellore districts.Low-lying areas in Nellore city, Gudur, Buchireddypalem and Atmakur were inundated. The Nellore district administration organised 115 relief camps and shifted 3,363 people to shelter homes.

About 5,000 staff from various departments were deputed for relief work in the district. As per official data, 89 trees were uprooted in the district and two tanks were breached due to the heavy rainfall. About 100 NDRF and SDRF teams were engaged in relief measures in the district. As many as 340 families in Satyavedu mandal of Chittoor district were shifted to relief centres. A total of 3,165 people were shifted to relief centres in the district. The Pulleru stream in Satyavedu is in spate, and road connectivity to 20 villages in the mandal has been cut off.

Chittoor Collector Narayana Bharath Gupta said the situation is being closely monitored. Streets resembled canals in Tirupati, with heavy rains lashing the temple town. After several years, the waterfall at Kapila Theertham came alive with a ferocious flow. With hill streams overflowing due to heavy rain in Railway Kodur mandal of Kadapa district, the highway between Kadapa and Tirupati was badly affected and rainwater overflowed onto roads, leaving commuters stranded. Officials advised people to postpone their travel along the route.The Yogi Vemana University in Kadapa postponed the BEd and MEd exams, and valuation of the exam papers scheduled for Thursday.

A holiday was declared for schools and colleges in Kadapa, Nellore and Chittoor districts on Friday. Light to moderate rains were reported in parts of Prakasam district, a few parts of Krishna district, and isolated places in Guntur district. Incessant rain has been battered Vijayawada since Thursday morning. Water entered the houses of people on the outskirts of Kadapa, downstream of the Buggavanka project, following the release of floodwater with four gates lifted. By evening, around 105 families in Tarakaramanagar, Ravindranagar, near Shameer Darga were shifted to relief centres. With more houses inundated, Collector C Harikiran visited the area, which had knee-deep water, and supervised the evacuation of 500 more families.

What next?

Cyclone Nivar will decrease in intensity and become a depression by Friday morning, says IMD
More rains are likely on Friday in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions
Low pressure areas could develop in the southern & central Bay of Bengal on Sunday, and move westwards and intensify

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