Normal life was disrupted as heavy rain lashed different parts of Prakasam district under the influence of a weather system that has developed in the Bay of Bengal on Saturday.
In a short span of three hours, Ongole received more than 100 mm of rainfall leaving all roads, including the arterial Kurnool Road, 60 Foot Road and Trunk Road in a sheet of water.
The road leading to the bus station resembled a swimming pool as there was no let up in the showers which continued for the second day on Saturday. All major roads, including the Church Centre junction, wore a deserted look following unabated rains.
Sanitary workers from the civic body worked overtime to clear the clogged drains in different parts of the city.
Rain water entered houses in Nehru Nagar, NTR Colony, Jayaprakash Colony, Balaram Colony, Balineni Bharat Colony as Potharajau Canal was in spate. Over 2,000 people living in colonies close to Potharaju Canal, which carries storm water from different parts of the city, were stranded, said Municipal Commissioner M. Venkateswara Rao while overseeing relief operations.
Earth-movers were pressed into service to clear bushes obstructing flow of water into the canal and also to break the dividers on the roads to ensure free flow of stagnated water.
Roads at Kesarajakunta, Indiramma Colony, Puli Venkat Reddy Colony, Maruthi Colony and Pragathi Nagar were also inundated, forcing residents to remain indoors.
The rains followed a cyclonic circulation lying over westcentral Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh coast in lower and middle tropospheric levels.
A cyclonic circulation is likely to emerge into northeast and adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal in the 24 hours, according to a weather bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department(IMD). It predicted widespread rainfall in the district in the next 48 hours.
Pulalacheruvu received 78.2 mm, Markapur 76.4 mm, Donakonda 72 mm, S.N.Padu 71.8 mm, N.G.Padu 68.8 mm, Maddipadu 47.6 mm, Tarlapadu 45.8 mm, Tripurantakam 40.6 mm and Peddaraveedu 40.6 mm, according to a report compiled by the Chief Planning Officer.
