Kurnool: Sweltering summer heat splits huge rock

Kurnool: Splitting of a huge rock in Gonegandla village of Kurnool district has led to evacuation of 150 families living in the vicinity to avert any untoward incident.

While District Collector Srijana Gummalla on Wednesday said a huge crack has developed in the rock in the Adoni sub-division on Tuesday probably because of sweltering heat, Met officials said that Kurnool district did not record abnormally high temperatures on Tuesday. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) recorded Gonegandla's maximum temperature as 38.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

The saving grace is that fortunately, the rock has not shown any signs of expansion.

The district authorities have deployed State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams at the site.

The Collector said the district administration has also roped in the nearby cement companies and renewable energy company Greenko to help reinforce and stabilize the broken rock. The evacuees have been accommodated in a nearby school for now as the fragments of the rock may crash onto their houses if the situation aggravates. The school is located against the slope behind the rock's location. Asked if any quarrying was the cause of rock splitting, she said no quarrying occurred at the site of the incident. Meanwhile, the Sub-Collector, Tehsildhar and police teams are monitoring the situation in the village. Incidentally, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) did not receive information on this development until Wednesday morning, said Janardhan Prasad, Additional Director General (ADG). "We have not received any complaints or reports from the local government officials," he said. Later when approached by the media, he said he discussed the issue with district administration and a GSI team may go to Gonegandla. Prasad clarified that unless a geologist personally examines the crack, he cannot conclude, whether that crack is an older one or a recent one.