Heavy downpour brings life to standstill in Vizag

- have been made available for the public to register their complaints.GVMC areas in Visakhapatnam received heavy rainfall Sun. Low-lying areas flooded, Kottavalasa in Vizianagaram district recorded highest rainfall in State. IMD attributed it to monsoon trough, cyclonic circulation & shear zone. IMD predicts more rain in north & south coastal districts till July 27. GVMC deployed Rapid Response Force & alerted public to avoid storm drains. Complaints can be made on toll-free numbers.

Many areas in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits received heavy rainfall between 4 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. on Sunday, bringing normal life to standstill.

Several roads in the low-lying areas of the city were inundated. Roads at Chavulamadhum Junction near Gnanapuram Junction and other areas were flooded with rainwater and drains were seen overflowing.

Meanwhile, Kottavalasa in Vizianagaram district (bordering the city) received 113.75 mm rainfall, the highest in the State (till 7.30 p.m.), followed by PM Palem with 106 mm rainfall, according to AP State Development Planning Society (APSDPS).

Heavy rainfall was recorded at Yendada (72 mm), Visakhapatnam Zoo (75 mm), Rushikonda (77.5 mm) and Sagar Nagar (91.5 mm) falling under the north zone of GVMC.

Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati Centre, attributed the rainfall to three main factors. First, a monsoon trough that moved east-southeastwards over Kalingapatnam in the Srikakulam district to the east-central Bay of Bengal. It extended up to 1.5 km above mean sea level.

Secondly, a cyclonic circulation over west-central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, which was reported to be at 3.1 km above sea level over south Odisha and adjoining areas as on Sunday.

Thirdly, the formation of a shear zone over the Bay of Bengal. A shear zone is an area where opposing winds collide, resulting in the concentration of heavy rain. In the present case, the shear zone existed between 3.1 and 5.8 km above mean sea level.