Rain fury in Telangana, Andhra leaves 31 dead; crops damaged, communication disrupted
The torrential rains in the two states have left several cities flooded with residents grappling with long power cuts and scampering for water and basic essentials
Torrential rains in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have left at least 31 people dead while disrupting road and railway connectivity, flooding agricultural crops and leaving people scampering for daily needs.
16 killed in Telangana, 15 in Andhra
The two Telugu speaking states were reeling under the impact of the rains on Monday, as 16 persons were killed in Telangana and 15 others in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which particularly bore the brunt of the rain fury.
A portion of gravel under the railway track near Kesamudram in Telangana was washed away due to floodwaters.
Nearly 4.5 lakh people were affected in Andhra, even as heart-wrenching scenes of people struggling to ensure essentials, including milk were witnessed in the worst affected Vijayawada. The most affected districts included NTR, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam, said an official press release.
SDRF, NDRF carry out rescue and relief ops
Twenty SDRF and 19 NDRF teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations.
Life was completely thrown out of gear in Vijayawada following torrential downpour over the past three days and with more than 24 hours of power cuts in several parts of the city.
Visuals aired on local TV news channels showed a woman lamenting to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that people were stranded for two days in Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada without drinking water. She complained no boat came to their rescue while another man standing in waist deep waters begged Naidu, who was touring the flood-affected areas for the third time on a boat, to understand their predicament.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visits a flood-affected area at Bhavanipuram in Vijayawada on Monday. Photo: PTI
Residents navigate flooded streets, struggle for basic needs
People were seen wading through floodwaters carrying their children on shoulders to safety while an old woman lying on a mattress was seen being shifted over floodwaters by two persons. Some people tried to help themselves through the deluge using a rope.
As people waded through the floodwaters, a few of them held on to some basic necessities in their hands and a large queue was formed at one of the flood-affected places to collect milk sachets and food packets.
At one such place, a flood victim complained they did not have milk since Sunday morning and alleged no help came their way from the government.
Internet and mobile telephone connectivity were disrupted, and long traffic snarls disrupted normal life. Connectivity to Hyderabad was affected. Transportation within Vijayawada city and its vicinity was chaotic.
At Prakasam Barrage, 11.3 lakh cusecs of floodwaters were discharged by 8 am on Monday.
Telangana demands ₹2,000 central aid
In Telangana, at least 16 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents and the state government on Monday put the damage at ₹5,000 crore citing preliminary estimates. It sought an immediate central assistance of ₹2,000 crore.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the affected areas and declare the floods as a national calamity. He also announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the kin of those who were killed in the rain-related incidents.
The chief minister held a meeting with ministers and officials at Suryapet as part of his visit to rain-hit areas.
1.5 lakh acres of crop damaged in Telangana
State IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said full details on the loss of life and others would be known after reports on damage are received. The government will submit a comprehensive report on the flood damage to the Centre, an official release said.
Officials informed the chief minister that crops in over 1.5 lakh acres suffered damage as per preliminary estimates The flood-hit areas of Khammam presented a scene of extensive damage as household items were washed away and some items carried away by water were stuck to the gates of houses.
Residents of flood-affected areas narrated their woes to state Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who visited them.
Trains disrupted
An official of the Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway (SCR) said due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on the SCR network, as many as 432 trains were cancelled and 13 trains were partially cancelled. He said 139 trains were diverted till Monday afternoon.
Restoration works were underway, he said.
Washed away railway tracks following heavy rainfall in Secunderabad. Photo: PTI
Due to incessant rains in the two states, flooding and breaches were reported in Kazipet-Vijayawada section and five trains were stranded.
Over 7,500 passengers from these trains were brought to the nearest Railway stations in state-run RTC buses on Sunday evening and special trains were arranged to take them to their respective destinations, he added.
A large number of lorries were stranded on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway near Kodada as water was flowing on the road. The officials urged those travelling to Vijayawada to use the Narkatpalli-Addanki highway as an alternative.
(With inputs from agencies)
