Telangana: Heavy rains continue to lash state; admn put on alert, schools shut

Telangana Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari on Thursday said the administration has been put on alert as heavy rains continued to lash the state.

The downpour led to inundation of low-lying areas and damage to roads at several places in the state with rivulets and other water bodies overflowing.

In the temple town of Bhadrachalam, water level in Godavari river stood at 49.80 ft at 1 pm and the second flood warning was in force (third and final flood warning level is 53 ft), official sources said.

Also read: Mumbai rains: IMD issues ‘red alert’, forecasts ‘heavy to very heavy showers’

Evacuation underway

As there is every likelihood of the flood water reaching third danger mark, steps are being taken to shift people living in low lying areas to relief camps, an official release said.

In the wake of heavy rains, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed Education Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy to declare holiday for all educational institutions in the state on Friday. The flood situation in the state is being constantly monitored with senior officials along with district collectors and superintendents of police.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire Service teams are ready to take up any rescue and relief measures in case of any emergency, the official release said. A special control room to monitor the flood situation has been set up in the Secretariat.

Three senior officials have been appointed in the control room and the situation is being constantly monitored, the chief secretary said. Similarly, control rooms have been set up in all the Collectors offices of the districts.

Also read: Karnataka: Govt well-prepared to tackle any situation caused by rains, says CM

NDRF teams ready

Two NDRF teams each have been kept in readiness in Kothagudem and Hyderabad districts, while one NDRF team each has been stationed in Mulugu and Warangal districts. Several districts in the state, particularly in North Telangana, have been experiencing continuous downpour since last night. Rainfall ranging from 30 to 40 cm has been recorded in these districts, the release said.

The Bhupalpalli Police team is trying to reach the critical areas. The SP and other officers are in touch with the stranded people. All are safe. Rescue and Relief operations are on the way. These are testing times for all of us, and the enthusiasm of Police Constable officers… pic.twitter.com/pqMzXXiZVS

— DGP TELANGANA POLICE (@TelanganaDGP) July 27, 2023

Moranchavagu (a rivulet) at Moranchapalli village in Bhupalpalli district has been in spate and as a result, the entire village was submerged. The district administration has shifted the villagers of Moranchapalli to a safer location. One NDRF team is being dispatched to Moranchapalli village, while steps are being taken to send a helicopter to the village.

The Collector and SP of Bhupalpalli district are constantly in touch with the villagers of Moranchapalli and they are monitoring the situation, it said.

As several residential colonies in Warangal are under water due to heavy rains, the district administration is taking steps to evacuate the residents and shift them to safer places.

Kadem dam overflowing

As ponds, canals and tanks are full to the brim in several parts of the state, various measures have been taken to prevent any untoward incident, the release said. The chief secretary advised the people not to venture out near the causeways and other vulnerable areas.

As there is a lot of outflow from the Kadem project in Nirmal district, measures are being taken to shift the people living in the catchment areas to safer places. While full water level of Kadem project is 700 ft, it stood at 702 ft in the morning hours, but the water level is declining as outflow of water is more than the inflow, official sources said.

Also read: Noida: Schools closed after heavy rain; 350 Ola cars submerged by swollen Hindon

IMD predicts heavy rain

Meanwhile, in its special report issued at 1 pm, the Met Centre of IMD in Hyderabad said heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain (exceptionally heavy greater than 24 cm) is very likely to occur at isolated places in Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak and other districts from 1 pm on July 27 to 8.30 am on July 28.

Heavy rain is very likely to occur at various places in Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad and other districts during the same period. In Hyderabad, heavy to very heavy rain and at times intense spells are very likely to occur in the city during the same period, it said.

From 8.30 am on July 28 to 8.30 am on July 29, heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur in Adilabad, Nirmal and Nizamabad districts. Light to moderate rain and at times intense spells are very likely to occur in Hyderabad during the same period, the report said.

In its daily weather report for Telangana (at 8.30 AM on July 27), the Met Centre said exceptional heavy rainfall occurred at many places in Hanmakonda and at a few places Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts and at Isolated places in Jangaon, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Karimnagar, Warangal districts of Telangana.

According to the report, Chityal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district received 62 cm rainfall, followed by Regonda (47), Ghanpurjskb (46), both in the same district. Parkal in Hanumakonda district received 46 cm of rainfall. More than 20 cm of rainfall occurred at several other places in different districts, it said.

(With agency inputs)