Cyclone Ditwah: Rains lash south coastal Andhra Pradesh

Though the remnant of cyclonic storm Ditwah weakened, it has shown a severe impact on south coastal Andhra Pradesh. With the continuous rains for the past three days, the people of Tirupati, SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts have experienced inundated roads and flooded canals, disrupting their life, particularly in the low-lying areas.

According to the latest bulletin of Regional Meteorological Centre, the depression weakened into a well-marked low pressure area over North Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts and neighbourhood by Wednesday morning 5.30 am. It is very likely to continue to move south-westwards and weaken further into a low-pressure area during next 24 hours.

Ditwah LIVE: Rain continues to lash Tamil Nadu; India sends mobile field hospital to Sri Lanka

Tirupati, Nellore and Prakasam districts have received total rainfall of 2,137 mm, 1,415 mm and 11.4 mm by Wednesday morning 6 am. Tirupati and Nellore districts may continue to receive heavy rains for another day. Many low-lying areas in both the districts have been submerged in rainwater. The situation was closely monitored by the local leaders and municipal staff.

Several areas in Nellore city were waterlogged due to the rains. YSR Nagar 5th Street and 8th Street residents were facing severe problems as these areas were completely submerged and the rainwater was entering into their houses. Similar was the situation in some streets of G.K. Colony, Rajaram Reddy Nagar, Ravindra Nagar and Sramika Nagar areas.

Remnant of Cyclone Ditwah continues to batter north Tamil Nadu

Heavy rains have caused waterlogging not only in slums but also in many decent localities of the city including Magunta Layout, Gomti Nagar, Mini Bypass, Saptagiri Layout, Ayyappagudi Junction and other areas. The rainwater has stagnated in the parking areas of several residential apartments, causing troubles to the dwellers. The situation in the remote suburbs is even more dire.

Harinadhapuram electrical substation was submerged and the electricity department staff are struggling to enter the premises. According to them, the condition of the substation was the same for the last couple of years, but the senior officials have been ignoring the issue.

Cyclone Ditwah’s unusual stall leads to prolonged rains in Tamil Nadu

On the orders of Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, his brother and TDP leader Kotamreddy Giridhar Reddy has extensively toured many low-lying areas in the city from 4 am. He issued several instructions to Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials to divert the rainwater through irrigation canals. He advised people in low-lying areas to be alert in view of the heavy rain.

During the visit, he spoke to the locals and advised them to call the MLA office immediately in case of any need.