KURNOOL: Heavy rains continued to batter the erstwhile Kurnool district on Tuesday, prompting officials to issue high alert in low-lying areas of Kurnool and Nandyal districts.
On Monday night, a 50-year-old woman, identified as K Maddamma, died after a wall collapsed in Velugodu mandal. Her husband, Hanumanna, and son, Ramanjaneyulu, were severely injured in the incident.
In another incident, at least 25 agricultural labourers were stranded in the overflowing Handri River near Gajjahalli of Gonegandla mandal on Tuesday. According to police, the incessant rains resulted in the overflowing of local streams and irrigation tanks in various villages. These streams further with the Handri River. Due to this unexpected surge in inflows to the river, the labourers were stranded while crossing the river on their way back from the fields.
Gonegandla circle inspector A Gangadhar said the labourers were rescued with the help of local swimmers, fire fighters and teams from disaster management and revenue departments.
Meanwhile, the downpour led to inundation of agricultural lands and residential colonies in various villages. The rains disrupted daily life with roads being submerged in both districts, making it difficult for pedestrians and motorists to commute.
In addition to the rain, strong winds caused significant damage to horticulture crops like banana and mango, as well as paddy, red chili, and other crops. Trees, electrical poles, huts, and cattle sheds were destroyed in various places, and severe thunderstorms caused power outages, uprooted trees. Several birds and animals also died due to lightning strikes in Nandyal district.
Key routes, including those connecting Kurnool’s major towns like Adoni and Pathikonda with Karnataka’s Ballary, were damaged by the overflowing floodwater over the past 24 hours. This resulted in disrupted communication and traffic jams in the border areas between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
While the Topi Maremma temple in Amruthapuram village was completely under water, a local stream overflowed at Devarabetta village in Kosigi mandal, causing panic in nearby villages. According to Tuesday morning’s rainfall report, Kurnool received an average rainfall of 56.10 mm, with Mantralayam mandal recording the highest of 189.80 mm rainfall.
