Anantapur: Pennar River is strangely also called Peenigula Penna, in other words, a river course with dead bodies lying around, even though other rivers in Andhra Pradesh are overflowing with water.

Symbolically, it is equivalent to the drought-hit Rayalaseema that rarely blossoms but remains dry, disappointing most of the people in the region.

However, Wednesday has changed the entire perception. In view of the gusty winds and isolated incessant rains ahead of the Southwest monsoon, Penna River is flowing with water in the Kalyanadurg area of Anantapur district, making it a rare event. People are thronging the area for an unbelievable look.

Significantly, Pennar River rises in Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapur in Karnataka. It enters AP near Parigi mandal and merges with the Kumudvathi River. The water then flows back into the Pavagada taluk of Karnataka before re-entering Andhra Pradesh in Kalyanadurg area.

Incidentally, Pennar is only a streak of water even when there are heavy floods in the upstream Karnataka regions during peak rainy seasons. But on Wednesday, the river flushed with water, raising the spirits of farmers in the region.

Farmer Thippeswamy of Kalyanadurg expressed joy, saying Pennar River is flowing in peak summer season in the area.

Further, the Dharmavaram Cheruvu, the historic reservoir originally built in the 12th Century, is about to overflow after receiving heavy flows from upstream regions.

Irrigation officials say they have never seen the irrigation tank overflowing in the past few decades. The tank is just short of one-and-a-half feet of water before overflowing.