Krishna may sever North, S India links

Vijayawada is considered the gateway to the south with the second biggest railway junction in the country and two important national highways touching it. It’s the vital link between Chennai-Calcutta and Chennai-Delhi and any disruption in either road or rail traffic at Vijayawada will upset the north-south transport chain.

Two road and two rail bridges stand across the river Krishna. Traffic on one of the road bridges was already suspended. Rail traffic will stop once the water level stands at 23 ft. If this happens, thecommunication link between north and south will cut off. The optimum level at the barrage point is 23.20 ft. The highest-ever recording was 21 ft in 1964. This time, the record is likely to be broken and in the process upsetting transport links.

"As of now, there is no threat. We are continuing the train operations, though with a caution", a senior railway official said, adding that “a decision will be taken tomorrow after seeing the water level in the river”.

Meanwhile, traffic on the ever-busy Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway remain suspended for the second day yesterday as flood waters were overflowing on the road on outskirts of the city. APSRTC buses on a number of routes were also suspended.