Guntur, October 06: Due to heavy floods in river Krishna for the last three days, the flood bank at Pallapalem in Battiprolu Mandal in this district of Andhra Pradesh got breached up to 20 metres today.
Official sources said, as a result there was a grave threat of Repalle and Pateru towns getting water-logged.
Andhra Pradesh Minister for Heavy Industries Kanna Laxminarayana, who visited the spot told TV channels, despite placing sand bags and large number of boulders to protect the flood bund, the breach could not be stopped.
The minister said, as there was no possibility to bury the breach, the people residing in the nearby villages should immediately vacate from their places. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation(APSRTC) officials would arrange buses from Repalle and Bapatla to shift the people to safer places, Mr Laxminarayana added.
Due to breach of flood bank, vehicular traffic came to a grinding halt between Penumudu and Velluturu. Traffic also came to a standstill between Yendrayee and Narkulapdu.
Andhra Pradesh Cabinet Ministers Mopidevi Venkata Ramana and Pilli Subash Chandra Bose also visited the breach site.
Meanwhile, flood continued to increase in Lanka villages of Kolluru Battiprolu Mandals and six villages had marooned with flood waters in Kolliparra and Duggirala Mandals.
At Olleru, Pallapalem and Ananthavaram, about 3,000 acres of crop was damaged due to floods and in Amaravathi Mandal in this district, 30 villages were still marooned even though one foot of flood water started decreasing since morning.
—Agencies