The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Boy washed away in heavy rain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 07, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Boy washed away in heavy rain

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, SEPT. 6 . Ten-year-old Imam Hussain of Proddatur was washed away while trying to cross the Kagithalapenta causeway across the Buggavanka stream in Cuddapah town on Monday. The Buggavanka and other streams around the town are in spate due to heavy rain on Sunday night.

People of certain low-lying areas were sounded an inundation alert. Water flowed over the six low-level causeways across the Buggavanka stream that passes through the town, throwing normal life out of gear and disrupting flow of traffic. Imam Hussain, son of Zakir Hussain and Khadeerun of Proddatur, who was here on a visit, was washed away when he tried to cross the causeway with his bicycle.

Policemen posted

Subsequently, policemen were posted on either side of the causeways and people and vehicles were prevented from entering them. Traffic was closed on the causeways across Buggavanka stream near the juvenile home, the old jail complex, the old bus-stand, Nagarajupet, Lakshmiranga road and Yerramukkapalle, and only two causeways near Almaspet and Kagitalapenta were open for town as well as long-distance traffic passing on National Highway 18.

Tree uprooted

A large tamarind tree fell across the road near the Traffic police station this afternoon, damaging four autorickshaws. There were no casualties. A causeway near the old jail complex was washed away and a temporary road, formed for traffic movement near the old bus-stand, was partly breached. The sky was overcast and there was incessant rain on Monday.

The Cuddapah MLA, Md. Ahmedullah, visited the high-level bridge near the old bus-stand and instructed policemen to restrict public entry onto the causeway. The bridge, for which former Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, had laid the foundation for in March last year, has remained incomplete.

Tanks full

The Gurramgumpu tank in Chintakommadinne mandal was filled to the brim. The Mollavanka and Pandillapalle streams overflowed and the Chintakommadinne, Kopparthi, and Utukur tanks were almost half full and receiving further inflows. The Ganganeru project also received inflows up to half of its storage capacity. The water level was 176.4 metres at Buggavanka medium irrigation project, 190.65 metres at Mylavaram reservoir in Jammalamadugu constituency, 190.5 metres at Annamayya project in Rajampet constituency and Pincha project in Rayachoti constituency had 10 ft. storage.

District officials have appealed to people to alert them by calling 244676 or the toll-free helpline, 1077, in case of inundation of low-lying areas.

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