Summer rains: Vijayawada again faces waterlogging

The rains pummeled Vijayawada on Sunday, leaving large parts of the city waterlogged and disrupting daily life for thousands of residents. The relentless downpour, which began in the early hours, quickly overwhelmed drainage systems, turning major roads into rivers and triggering widespread traffic chaos.

Low-lying areas bore the brunt of the flooding, with visuals showing vehicles navigating knee-deep water in neighborhoods such as Mogalrajapuram, Benz Circle, and Patamata.

The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) reported that the city recorded over 100 mm of rainfall within a short span—far exceeding what the drainage infrastructure could handle.

Same story!

Frustration boiled over among residents, many of whom blamed the crisis on poor urban planning and unchecked encroachments on natural drainage channels like the Budameru canal.

The city has been facing this problem for many years. The region is unfit to be capital city due to the delta region. The summer rains submerging streets, flooding homes, and stalling traffic prove the above argument.

In response, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) deployed emergency teams to clear clogged drains and install pumps in severely affected areas.

The heavy rainfall comes barely weeks after Vijayawada began recovering from the recent floods, when the Krishna River and Budameru canal overflowed due to record rainfall in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Those floods prompted the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to commission hydro-geomorphological studies aimed at mitigating future risks in the Amaravati region.