Waterlogged roads cause traffic jams as heavy rain pounds Vijayawada

Vijayawada woke up to a stormy morning on Saturday, as heavy rain, accompanied by thunderstorms, pounded the city for more than two hours.

Low-lying areas in the city were waterlogged. The Pandit Nehru Bus Station area was in knee-deep water. Benz Circle and NTR Circle witnessed severe traffic congestion due to water stagnation.

According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), Gunadala area, under the jurisdiction of Vijayawada North, recorded around 49 mm rain between 8.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Vijayawada Central recorded 13.3 mm, while East recorded around 7.2 mm and the west constituency recorded 6 mm rain.

Other places in NTR district recorded light to moderate showers on Saturday morning, offering relief to the people enduring sweltering heat earlier this week.

Tiruvuru recorded 37.6 mm of precipitation, followed by Vatsavai (19.5 mm), Gampalagudem (12.4 mm). Other places recorded below 10 mm rainfall between 8.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The district can expect light showers on Sunday as well.

Meanwhile, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Ponguru Narayana inspected the ongoing desilting works in the city and told the media that measures were being taken to check water stagnation on roads.

He said stormwater drainage infrastructure in the city is being improved at a cost of ₹600 crore.

He said large quantities of silt have accumulated in several drains, obstructing the water flow and causing waterlogging. To address the issue, the officials have deployed 70 machines to remove the silt, he said.

VMC officials accompanied the Minister during the inspection.