ANDHRA PRADESH: Cyclone Montha: Villages submerged, six dead in heavy rains
Cyclone Montha made landfall near Narasaraopet in the West Godavari district late Tuesday, unleashing torrential downpours and gusty winds across coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The storm, now weakened, has left a trail of flooded villages, overflowing rivers, and disrupted lives in districts like Nellore, Prakasam, Palnadu, and Guntur.
With rainfall peaking at 23.6 cm in Kavali, the deluge has submerged homes and halted traffic on key routes.
Widespread Flooding Hits Heartland
In Prakasam district, Ongole turned into a watery chaos as overflow from Kambham and Gundlakamma reservoirs spilled into urban areas.
For the first time, 11 gates of the Gundlakamma project were lifted, sending surges through nearby towns.
Nallamala’s tanks and ponds brimmed over, turning them into overflowing vessels that inundated surrounding communities.
Streams raged violently in Kavali and Kandukur, while landslides blocked paths near the Srisailam project and Pathala Ganga road.
Similar overflows plagued East and West Godavari, Krishna, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, and Vizianagaram, with seawater encroaching 20-30 meters inland in vulnerable spots.
Urban Areas Submerged, Traffic Snarled
Water invaded colonies in Narasaraopet and Sattenapalli, flooding Chandrababu Colony and DC Colony up to waist level.
In Palnadu, Katavavagu and Nakkavagu swelled, stalling movement on Guntur highways and the Kolkata-Chennai national route.
Over 100 villages across 20 mandals saw roads vanish under floodwaters, stranding residents.
Ongole’s Bilalnagar, Papakalani, and Bhagyanagar neighborhoods drowned under four-and-a-half feet of water, affecting 600 homes.
Pothuraj and Nalla canals, clogged with silt, funneled the deluge straight into residential zones.
Bapatla district faced sewer overflows, paralyzing traffic in 30 villages spanning Parchur, Yaddanapudi, and other mandals.
Infrastructure Takes a Beating
Winds uprooted trees and toppled electricity poles in Nellore, snapping supply lines and damaging transformers.
Substations in Ongole, Tanguturu, Parchur, and Idupulapadu went under, though officials restored 90% of power by Wednesday evening.
Erravagu, Dunnapotula Vagu, Pandivagu, and Malidevivagu streams burst their banks, flooding farmlands near Kandukur and Udayagiri.
Statewide, heavy rains wrecked 4,576 km of roads and bridges. Key damages include:
- 302 culverts and bridges affected
- Trees blocking paths at 426 locations
- 28 routes fully severed, 120 pocked with craters
- Flooding on 344 road stretches
- Disruptions on 373 vehicular paths
Engineers peg temporary fixes at Rs 272 crore and full repairs at Rs 2,440 crore.
Roads in Prakasam, Bapatla, Nellore, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, and others bore the brunt.
Human Toll and Relief Measures
At least six people lost their lives in unrelated incidents, with two others unaccounted for amid the chaos.
District administrations in Nellore estimate initial losses at Rs.96.24 crore from damaged crops, homes, and livestock.
A third-level alert blankets several ports, while North Andhra braces for more showers today.
Government teams diverted floodwaters at the Vadarevu-Piduguralla highway and launched evacuations.
R&B Minister BC Janardhan Reddy directed swift temporary repairs to ease travel woes.
As the cyclone fades, focus shifts to recovery, with assessments underway for comprehensive aid.