Heavy rains in several parts of Telangana

Hyderabad, Sep 7 (IANS) Heavy rains in several parts of Telangana have inundated low-lying areas, paralysed normal life and snapped road connectivity in few districts on Tuesday.

For a fourth consecutive day, rains continued to lash the state, especially northern districts, flooding roads and residential areas and affecting the road transport.

With rivulets, streams, lakes and other water bodies overflowing, flood water entered many residential areas. Roads turned into rivers while colonies resembled like lakes in the affected districts.

Undivided Warangal, Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts were worst affected by the incessant rains since last night. Some villages in these districts were cut off due to flood water on connecting roads.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who is in Delhi, reviewed the situation with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar over phone. He directed that the entire administration be alerted to take up rescue and relief works in rains affected areas.

Rajanna Sircilla district was badly affected by heavy downpour. Sircilla town was under deluge. Many residential areas in the town were marooned as the district administration began shifting people to safe places.

An under-construction bridge near Vemulawada collapsed due to heavy rains and floods. The bridge was being constructed at a cost of Rs.28 crore to improve connectivity to Vemulawada temple.

Minister for municipal administration and urban development K. T. Rama Rao, who represents Sircilla Assembly constituency, reviewed the situation.

The minister directed the district officials to undertake relief measures and shift people from marooned areas to relief camps.

Rama Rao said Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams will be sent to Sircilla from Hyderabad for rescue and relief operations. He directed officials to remain on alert in view of forecast of more rains in next 48 hours.

Fourteen places in Warangal Rural, Karimnagar, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Warangal Urban, Rajanna Sircilla, Mulugu and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts recorded extremely heavy rainfall above 20 cm during last 24 hours that ended 8 a.m. Tuesday.

According to Telangana State Development Planning Society, Nadikuda in Warangal Rural district recorded the maximum rainfall of 38.8 cm. Malliala in Karimnagar recorded 30 cm rainfall while Bornapalli in the same district saw 29.3 cm rainfall.

Meanwhile, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more rains in Telangana over next 48 hours. The meteorologists have warned of flash floods risk in parts of the state. Expecting moderate to high risk in few watersheds in the Bhadradri kothagudem, Adilabad and Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal and Khammam districts, the IMD said.

Heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rains are very likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Kumaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal and Nizamabad districts. Heavy to very heavy rains are very likely to occur at isolated places in Mancherial, Jagtiyal and Rajanna Sircilla while heavy rains are very likely at isolated places in other districts.

Hyderabad Meteorological Centre said the heavy rains could lead to flooding/inundation in low lying areas and overflow of water on to bridges, water pooling on roads and low lying areas in most locations, crop damage and electricity, water and other social disturbances for few hours.