Rains improve water outlook of Vizag; GVMC takes up restoration activities

The city received an average rainfall of 332.7 mm between September 21 and 24 under the influence of the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, raising hopes of a significant improvement in the city’s water situation after months of concern over depleted water sources.

Visakhapatnam (Rural) recorded the highest rainfall of 426 mm during the four-day period, followed by Seethammadhara with 398 mm. Mulagada, Maharanipeta, Gopalapatnam, Pedagantyada and Pendurthi also received more than 350 mm of rainfall.

The widespread rainfall brought a much-needed boost to water bodies and reservoirs in and around the city, which had shown signs of depletion during the prolonged dry spell. The impact on groundwater levels and major reservoirs, however, will become clearer over the coming days as the accumulated rainwater percolates into the ground and inflows to reservoirs are assessed.

There were no major agricultural losses reported in the district, though horticultural crop damage was reported in Anandapuram and Bheemunipatnam mandals.

The adverse weather conditions also affected educational infrastructure, with damage reported at 13 government schools in the district. Of these, 11 were in Bheemunipatnam mandal.

Meanwhile, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Friday, intensified relief and restoration operations following the heavy rain and strong winds.

GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said 187 rain-related incidents had been reported within the corporation limits, of which 180 had already been attended to.

The rain damaged seven houses completely and 11 houses partially. Twelve houses and two apartment complexes were inundated, prompting the evacuation of 85 families comprising 284 people from vulnerable locations to 56 rehabilitation centres. Water-quality testing, chlorination and sanitation measures were also taken up in areas affected by inundation.

Strong winds accompanying the rain resulted in extensive damage to trees and civic infrastructure. As many as 122 trees were uprooted across the city, with 38 of them reported in the East Zone alone.

The heavy rainfall also damaged 11.5 km of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) roads. Eighteen major water-stagnation points and 17 instances of drain overflow were reported across the city, with a substantial number of incidents occurring in the Madhurawada and South zones.

Mr. Garg said the City Operations Centre (COC) had been functioning round-the-clock since the onset of the deep depression. The centre received complaints from residents, and forwarded them to the concerned departments and monitored the response until the issues were resolved.

With the rain easing after the passage of the weather system, GVMC teams continued clearing waterlogged roads, removing fallen trees and debris and attending to damaged infrastructure. The civic administration also continued monitoring vulnerable locations and water bodies as the city moved from emergency response towards restoration.