VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government has put the official machinery on high alert fearing flash floods in lowlying areas of Krishna, East and West Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts as India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday forecast heavy rainfall in coastal areas on Monday.About 300 pilgrims and traders were caught in the forest area on the border of AP and Telangana as rivulets suddenly received flash floods cutting of road links. The pilgrims went to Mangamma temple between Aswaraopet in Telangana and Gubbala in AP. Some vehicles parked there were washed away in swirling flood waters.Parts of AP have been experiencing heavy to very heavy rainfall for past two days bringing in copious inflows into tanks, streams and rivulets. With both Krishna and Godavari in spate threatening island villages and lowlying areas, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu held an emergency review meeting directing the district administration to be on a high alert and evacuate people, if necessary.Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Visakhapatnam-based Cyclone Warning Centre (CWC) have predicted strong surface winds from westerly direction with speed reaching 40-45 kmph along and off the state’s coastal belt.Normal life hit in AP, dam water releasedINCOIS bulletin warned advising fishermen not to venture into sea. “The sea would be rough to very rough,” it said.Southwest monsoon has been normal over coastal districts with places like Nandigama in Krishna district receiving 70mm of rain on Sunday. Vijayawada airport, Prakasam barrage and Vuyyuru received 60mm each of rainfall, followed by Gudivada (Krishna) 50 mm, Bhimadolu (West Godavari) 50 mm, Eluru (West Godavari) 50mm, Mangalagiri (Guntur) 50, Tiruvuru (Krishna) 50, Lam (Guntur) 50, Machilipatnam 40, Bhimavaram (West Godavari) 40, Kukunoor (West Godavari) 40 and Nuzvidu 40 mm.Normal life was affected in Vijayawada and other areas in the coastal belt due to constant rain. Flood water is discharged through Prakasam barrage in Vijayawada while pumping from Pattiseema project into Krishna River has been reduced. Flood discharge continued from Srisailam dam across the Krishna and Dhowlaiswaram barrage across Godavari in Rajahmundry. Sunkesula barrage is discharging 1.37 lakh cusecs downstream into Srisailam.Road transport was affected between Krishna and West Godavari district following overflowing of tanks and streams. Heavy rains also lashed Nuzvidu, Musunuru, Agiripalle and Ibrahimpatnam mandals.Enugu Vagu, a local stream, is overflowing at Kotikalapudi in Ibrahimpatnam mandal. The fire services station in Nandigama is inundated.Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to shift people from low-lying areas to safer places in view of the incessant rains and flood threat. He asked officials to act in coordination with state disaster management and real-time governance to provide relief to flood victims and make arrangements to supply food and water to people in flood-affected region. Police are preventing people from crossing overflowing causeways and bridges. Officials should make alternative arrangements in case of collapsed and washed away bridges to restore transport facility.

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