The Hindu : Front Page : Rain lashes city, suburbs

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Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008
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Rain lashes city, suburbs

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K. R. Deepak

telling effect: The stretch of the road near the All India Radio office that caved in on Monday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Rain that continued unabated from the early hours till the afternoon on Monday brought a great relief to people as well as farmers in rural areas.

The continuous rain resulted in a casualty when the wall of a hut in Maddilapalem collapsed and a 12-year-old girl died while another girl was injured.

According to three-town CI Ranga Raju, P. Kotamma and her sister were asked not to go to school as it was continually raining for the last two days. Their brother had gone to a relative’s house. A wall of their hut was battered by the rain and collapsed. The rubble fell on the girls.

They were rushed to the King George Hospital in the EMRI 108 ambulance where Kotamma died while undergoing treatment later in the day. The other girl sustained injuries but was said to be recovering. Roads in low-lying areas were water-logged while the many geddas passing through the city were in full flow for several hours.

Roads dug up for the underground drainage scheme and for laying water pipes for the Godavari water diversion scheme proved to be a nightmare for vehicle drivers. Trees and tree branches that fell on the road disrupted traffic. Schoolchildren and office-goers had a difficult time when they left their homes in the morning. The daily wage earners and pushcart vendors were hit badly.

A stretch of the road leading to the RK beach from the AIR junction, along which construction work was going on, caved in posing a threat to vehicle-riders and passers-by.

The rain should help the farming community as it recharged the water table a great deal. Visakhapatnam airport and Waltair recorded 2.5 cm of rain, according to the Cyclone Warning Centre. Rain is expected during the next 24 hours.

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