Continuous rain soaks Visakhapatnam

Continuous rain causes flooding in city, with areas receiving over 30mm of rainfall; GVMC Commissioner urges caution.

Continuous rain under the influence of active low pressure in the Bay of Bengal has soaked the city on Friday.

Moderate spells of rain lashed the city from Thursday night till the Friday morning and further it continued the entire day.

As per the A.P. State Development & Planning Society (APSDPS), from 8.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Kapuluppada received 43.55 mm rainfall, followed by Vepagunta with 42 mm and Gambheeram with 41.25 mm. Similarly, Prahladapuram, Appannapalem, Narava, Sheela Nagar, Marikavalasa, Pendurthi, Paradesipalem and a few other areas received above 30 mm rainfall during the 12-hour period. Similarly, Arilova, Gajuwaka, Seethammadhara, Maharanipeta and other areas too received rain.

A boundary wall collapsed due to continuous rains in Indira Nagar, a hillock area in Ward 92, Zone – VIII of Pendurthi on Friday. GVMC Commissioner P. Sampath Kumar visited the site and asked the residents to be alert in the wake of rains. He has also asked the officials to shift the residents in the surrounding areas to rehabilitation centre.

Later, the GVMC Commissioner has asked the Zonal Commissioners and officials concerned to focus on low-lying and hillock areas. Mr. Sampath Kumar told them to monitor the situation continuously and shift residents of hillock areas if they find there is a possibility of landslide. He asked them to make necessary arrangements at the rehabilitation centres for the public.

Meanwhile, many parents said holiday should have been declared for schools on Saturday in view of continuous rains.

The boundary wall of the RK Beach Road was washed away near the Children’s Park. Despite rains, many visitors have been thronging the beach. Two persons - Virendra from Hyderabad and Upendra Varma from Chhattisgarh, who went missing in the bluewaters at the RK Beach, were rescued by the GVMC community guards.