Cyclone Montha: incessant rain wreaks havoc in Nellore, Prakasam districts

With the impact of Cyclone Montha, incessant rains were witnessed in SPSR Nellore and Prakasam districts from Monday midnight. People from both these districts, particularly the daily wage labourers, faced severe problems due to the downpour.

Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) Commissioner K. Venkateswara Rao informed that a blocked drainage near railway-under-bridge (ROB) area was cleared by removing the grill at Balaji Nagar in Ongole. He said that the drain works were being done at NTR Colony to avoid inundation.

The continuous rains in the catchment areas and steady inflows from upstream led to rising water levels in Penna river and Somasila reservoir in Nellore district. The reservoir’s present level is 67 tmcft, while the full storage capacity is 77 tmcft.

The drains and canals were also overflowing in Nellore city, while few trees and electric poles fell down on the roads causing traffic jams. TDP leader Kotamreddy Giridhar Reddy, along with the municipal staff, inspected the canal desilting works at 19th division of Nellore Rural constituency.

Two electric poles, a transformer, and a palm tree fell down at 14th division in Balaji Nagar. On receiving the information, the local corporator Kartham Prathap Reddy reached the area and inspected the scene. He directed the concerned municipal authorities to resolve the issues.

Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) Commissioner Y.O. Nandan is touring extensively in the city. He instructed the sanitation staff to take steps to ensure that water does not stagnate on the roads due to the rains. He said that 14 cyclone rehabilitation centres were set up in the NMC limits.

He inspected all cyclone-affected low-lying areas across the city and monitored the facilities arranged at rehabilitation centres. He observed the complaints received by the control room helpline and gave instructions to the staff for immediate redressal of issues during the cyclone.