Normal life was thrown out of gear as heavy downpour lashed Madanapalle and its surrounding areas for more than two hours on Monday evening.
The low-lying areas were inundated, while all the three bus stations were under two-foot-deep water. The downpour came as a surprise to the people of this otherwise rain-shadow region. The rain began at around 4 p.m. and continued till 7 p.m., while heavy drizzling continued.
The Komativani Cheruvu tank on the outskirts of the town received heavy inflows and water swelled onto the surrounding roads. Due to the sudden downpour, the APSRTC and private buses remained confined to Chittoor, Bengaluru, and NTR bus stations in Madanapalle.
The rainwater reportedly entered several households and shopping complexes in the town. People complained of power outage. The municipal, fire, and police authorities swung into action and cleared the water-logging at several areas.
Meanwhile, heavy rain lashed the areas in the a 40 km radius of Madanapalle, covering Kurabalakota, B.Kothakota, Valmikipuram, Kalakada, Kalikiri, and Piler mandals of Annamayya district.
Farmers suffered losses as the rain came in the peak harvesting season for mangoes and tomatoes. A horticulture official said that the extent of damage could be ascertained after field visits.
