Torrential Rainfall Brings Life to a Standstill in Vijayawada, 17,000 Evacuated Across Andhra Pradesh

Unprecedented rainfall over the past two days has severely disrupted life in several parts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Vijayawada and its surrounding areas. Around 17,000 people affected by the heavy rains have been evacuated across the state. On Sunday, the Budameru rivulet on the outskirts of Vijayawada breached its banks and overflowed at multiple points, causing widespread flooding in several city localities, including Ajit Singh Nagar, the Swathi Theatre area, Police Nagar, and the west and central constituencies.

Footage from local news channels shows numerous cars and vehicles submerged in floodwaters across various areas in Vijayawada. In Rajarajeswari Peta, residents were seen wading through chest-deep water on flooded streets.

During a press conference at the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) in Tadepalli, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated that the state has been severely impacted by massive rainfall.

"Due to the heavy rain, Vijayawada and Guntur cities are completely marooned. The Vijayawada-Guntur national highway at Kaza and the Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway at Jaggaiahpeta are entirely submerged," said Naidu.

According to the Chief Minister, Jaggaiahpeta received 26 cm of rainfall in just 24 hours, while 14 mandals recorded over 20 cm of rainfall. He also noted that 94 locations across 14 districts received between 7 and 12 cm of rainfall. Additionally, there have been nine rain-related deaths, and one missing person reported. Addressing the situation with the Budameru rivulet, Naidu pointed out that rainwater from the upper reaches of Khammam, Nalgonda, and other areas is flowing into the rivulet, leading to flooding in several parts of Vijayawada.

Noting that up to 2 lakh cusecs of rainwater had flowed into the Budameru rivulet, Chief Minister Naidu stated that the state is currently unable to estimate how much more water may continue to enter.

Due to weak bunds in certain areas and other issues, the flooding in Budameru has halted power generation at the VTPS power station near Vijayawada. Additionally, he mentioned that a water channel constructed to divert water from Budameru to Tammileru and eventually to Kolleru Lake suffered a breach, which has allegedly gone unrepaired. Later, he toured the flooded Ajit Singh Nagar area by boat, accompanied by officials.